Bound
by Knisley24
Summary: Two rings.  Forever one.
1. Fight

Raven sighed, putting her book down for a moment. This was the first real break that she had gotten in...forever. There had been too much stress lately. Crime never took a break. She hated life. She closed her eyes for a second, and she relaxed some. The ring of Azar that was wrapped around her slim, delicate finger glowed slightly, as if sensing the oncoming danger. A small smile graced her lips as a memory fluttered to the front of her mind.

"_Do you know what these rings are for, little one?" Azar's kind, deep bluish-purple eyes stared into her violet ones._

"_No." Raven's small hand reached upward to grab the two beautiful rings from the lovely woman._

"_When you grow older, you may meet someone. These rings are much like the earthlings way to signify marriage. But, on Azarath, the women always wear one. It is when the male puts on the matching ring that signifies that he wishes to be forever bound to you. Once you put the rings on, you may never take them off."_

"_What about if he's mean?"_

"_Well, I suppose the monks may be able to remove the ring. But only for certain reasons. And you would have to be home for that to happen." Azar reached down, and slipped the slim but strong ring onto the young girl's hand. They stood in the shade of the temple's roof as rain poured down all around them. "But once you put this ring on, the other ring will fit one person and one person only. Your perfect match. You will never be far from each other. These rings were your mothers, but she never did get to use them. She wanted you to have them."_

"_Do you think that I'll find someone...Who will like me?" The older woman's wise gaze settled on hers._

"_Yes child. I can sense it. Someone will fall in love with you. And you with them. However, it may take time. You must be patient. And you must never take your ring off. Once he puts his on, they will be stuck, and your souls will be bound to each other."_

"_Does it hurt?"_

"_It depends on how much you love the person before they put the ring on. If you love them enough, you may feel nothing at all. However," Her eyes had darkened, "If you do not love them at all, it can hurt very much indeed. Sometimes, people are blown into different dimensions because of the force." _

Azar was like the mother she had never had. Arella, her real mother, had not come to see her since she was conceived, for she was named, "The devil's child." Her father being evil incarnate. Azar, Azarath's ruler, the good being, treated her like a normal person, what no one else in their world would do. She had grown up with the monks as her mentors, and Azar by her side.

"**BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!" **The alarm interrupted her thought process. She frowned and flew out of her room.

"Red X." Robin muttered as the team of super teens gathered around him and the computer screen. "Doesn't the guy have anything better to do than toy around with us?"

"Apparently not." Raven donned her cloak.

"Let's roll." Cyborg grabbed the keys to the T-car, hopping into the front seat.

"SHOT GUN!" Beastboy yelled. Robin rolled his eyes.

"Where?" Starfire violently looked off to the side.

"I didn't mean...Never mind." Beastboy slid into the back seat, seeing as Robin had beaten him to the punch.

"Where?" Raven asked from the window.

"The old abandoned warehouse. East side of town. You going to fly?" Robin buckled his seat belt. Raven nodded curtly and took to the skies.

"What's the matter Sunshine? Can't handle me on your own?" The synthesizer couldn't hide the mocking tone in his voice. The rest of the team hadn't arrived yet. Red X and the purple haired sorceress were grappling. He slammed his foot into her side, bruising it badly. She coughed, and brought her foot around in a round house kick. He rolled to the side, grabbing her foot as it came around to slam him in the chest, and flipped her. She fell to the floor on her stomach. He put a foot on her back, holding her to the ground. He cocked his head to the side, spying something on Raven's finger. "What's this?" His foot was removed from her back, and crushed downward onto her wrist, holding it in place as her fingers were splayed against the cold cement floor of the warehouse.

"No." Raven tried to retract her wrist, but it was stuck with the weight of his foot. Why weren't her powers working? "Don't touch it." He leaned down, his fingers brushing the beautiful ring wrapped around her delicate pale finger. Her eyes pleaded with him as his fingers grabbed it. Terror seized her heart. "Please." Tears glistened in her eyes.

"Why shouldn't I?" The synthesized voice sounded curious, not threatening. She squeezed her eyes shut. _I will not break down in front of a stupid criminal. I WILL NOT. _ Despite her efforts, a single tear carved it's path down her cheek.

"It's one of the only things I have left of my mother." His fingers seemed to hesitate then, as if he actually cared. Slowly, he pulled his hand back. Her breath hitched as he rubbed his thumb across her cheek.

"Don't cry little bird." It was faint, but she could hear the sincerity in his voice. Suddenly, the pressure on her wrist was gone. When she stood up...so was he.

"Raven! Have you seen Red X?" Robin ran into the warehouse, followed by the rest of the team.

"Yes?" She stood there, confused by the thief's odd behavior.

"Where'd he go?"

"I'm...not sure." Robin gave her an odd look.

"Titans, fan out and check the premises. Raven, you stay here." After the other titans had left, Robin crossed his arms. "Are you alright? Because you're acting strange."

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm going to go help Starfire." She left, leaving Robin to wonder what had happened.

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	2. Bound

Raven went into her bathroom. It was 2:00 in the morning. Uggh. Stupid insomnia. She turned the hot water in the shower on full blast, the heat didn't bother her. Her worries washed away with the water. She hummed to herself, unaware of what was about to happen.

Red X slipped into the tower. He wasn't sure of the layout, but he knew that the titan's security sucked. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he made out the shape of a large, oval shaped bed. The room was filled with little furniture, a few bookcases in the corners. His eyebrows lifted as he realized where he was: Raven's room. He couldn't help but wonder what had gotten into him earlier. He should've just taken the stupid ring. But, for some odd reason, he knew that what he did was right.

"Who knew that Sunshine as actually capable of showing emotion?" He could make out two doors, one directly in front of him, the other to his right. The door to his right was sealed, most likely the entrance. He stepped toward it, but paused. Steam was seeping out from under the door in front of him, and he could just barely hear singing. He grinned to himself. So, it seemed that Rave sang in the shower. Interesting. After a moment, something reflected with the last of the setting sun's rays, coming from the shelf across the room. He walked over to it. It was a ring, like the one Raven had been wearing earlier, but different. It seemed that this ring was her ring's twin, though more...manly. He didn't hear the shower turn off. For some odd reason, he was compelled to pull his long, black glove off. His fingers enclosed themselves around the slim metal band.

Raven reluctantly turned the water off, and slipped a towel around her body. Only the bottom of her hair was wet, and it stuck to her pale, smooth skin. She was unaware of her ring glowing, strange markings like those that had shown upon her skin on her 16th birthday wrapped themselves around the slim metal like band. She opened the door to her bathroom.

Red X was mesmerized by the odd little band. He slipped the top of it over his finger. He heard the clicking sound of a lock being undone, and a creak. Crap, Raven. The ring slipped from his right hand, sliding onto his left ring finger. At that precise moment, Raven emerged, wrapped in a towel. Her eyes met his in a look of pure, unadulterated terror. Both of the rings glowed, and she let loose a scream of pain so loud that it was most likely heard across the world. A sound of agony escaped his own lips as it felt as if his very soul were being ripped from his body. He was on fire. Raven's knees hit the floor, tears streaming down her face. The rest of her body soon fell to the carpet, motionless, as she blacked out. Her violet hair fanned out around her body, which was covered in nothing but a towel. Not long after, Red X's joined hers as they were blown into a different dimension.


	3. Hyper Giraffe

I read this thing today about april fool's day...I know, it's June...Anyways, it was about how you could change someone's auto correct options. So I tried to experiment with the word **then **because I often spell it tehn when I type fast. I changed the auto correct to...something odd. So, I apologize if the words Hyper Giraffe decide to pop up anywhere in this chapter... oh well. :D Hope you like it anyways.

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><p>"Uggghhh...That must've been some party last night...What the—" Red X rolled over and rubbed his hand across his face. He sat up, eyes adjusting to the light around him. "Why am I lying on the ground?" He shook his head, and then spied something off to the side. Something dark blue. A towel? His eyes widened as he realized that there was a <em>body<em> underneath it. By some miracle, Raven was still holding on to the deep, ocean blue towel that had been wrapped around her before. X checked to make sure he was still wearing his mask, and then stood up, debating with himself. Finally, he chose to walk over and make sure that Raven was okay, rather than leaving. After all, it was his fault that they were there. If he hadn't been so dang curious... He stood over her now, and got a good look at her. The towel just barely covered her pale satin like skin. His eyes traveled up to her face, where there was a bit of dirt smudged. For some unknown reason, he was leaning over, towards her...closer...closer...Suddenly, she stirred.

Raven's eyes popped open, awake and alert as if she knew she was in danger. It only took one look down for her to realize she was in a towel, yelp, then begin to scream, "PERVERT!" at Red X, who was leaning over her. He backpedaled, throwing his hands up in front of him in a gesture of _who me? _She scrambled up from the dirt, having to stick her hand against the trunk of a tree for a minute. The world seemed to be spinning around her. Wait a minute...Speaking of _world_...Where the heck was she? Red X stepped forward, getting ready to offer her a hand to steady herself with. She did the only thing she knew she could at the moment: She flipped him the bird.

"Screw you," She said angrily, "This is all of your fricking fault!" He said nothing. She turned away from him, furiously, and stormed off into the woods. She didn't have to look back to know that he was following her.

"Ummm. Where exactly are we, Sunshine?" Raven snorted, but didn't answer. In truth, she was terrified. _She had no idea_ where they were. It looked like earth, but some part of her told her that it was not her home. Then something flashed to the forefront of her mind.

"_Sometimes, people are blown into different dimensions because of the force." _She stiffened as a warm hand clamped down onto her shoulder, bringing her back to reality.

"Uh, earth...no...Wherever we are to Sunshine, come in Sunshine." She blinked once and continued walking. "Are you alright?" She flinched, then began to laugh, turning and facing him.

"Am I alright. AM I ALRIGHT. Do I look alright? Because of YOU we were blown into a different dimension. I am in ONLY a towel. I CAN'T use my powers. And, worst of all, I'M STUCK WITH A STUPID, COCKY, ARROGANT THIEF!" She turned around and began walking to...well, anywhere was better than there.

"Sunshine!" Acting completely unlike himself, he ran up to her and placed one hand on each shoulder, spinning her around. "I'm SORRY okay? I didn't know that that was going to—" He blanched as he saw her face, streaming with tears. "What's wrong?"

"You have no idea what _that_ means, do you?" She pointed to the bulge under his black glove.

"It's just a ring. I tried to pull it off earlier, but it's stuck. I'll just have to get some—"

"No, it's not _just a ring_. And it won't come off."

"What?"

"I said it won't come off." She turned around, the terrible truth dawning on her. They would never come off. There were no more monks. There were no more monks, because there was no more Azarath. The rings were there, forever.

"Why not?"

"Because we're stuck? Don't you get it? We're bound to each other."

"What do you mean by bound?" A feeling of foreboding was filling his entire being. She turned around, her beautiful violet eyes haunted.

"Stuck. Bound. Whatever. It means that...our souls are stuck together." She shuddered. His eyes widened, but he said nothing.

Eventually, he knew that something was troubling her. She was hiding something, and he knew it. Oddly enough, he felt responsible for her. As they trekked on, he stayed silent. He knew that this _was_ his fault. The least he could do was not give her a hard time.

"Wow," he thought to himself, "what's happening to me? I actually care about someone other than myself." He chuckled to himself, drawing a curious, cursory look from Raven. The place that they were in seemed to be a forest. Well, it had lots of trees, and animals, so, by definition, Red X guessed that it was a forest. Every once in a while, Raven would stumble over a tree root or a hidden log. Red X would suppress a smile and offer a hand, which she would simply ignore. It wasn't until later that he realized how selfish he was being. She had practically nothing on, not even a pair of shoes. No wonder she was falling so much. He glanced at her feet, and to his dismay, saw a great deal of cuts and scratches, staining her white skin red. Some of them appeared to be deep. His eyes traveled back up to her face, and even from behind, where he had a very nice view, he could see her wince every time she put a foot down.

"It's almost nighttime, we should probably stop and make camp soon." He laughed at her. "What?"

"Camp? With what? We don't have anything." She just shrugged. "I have night vision. Maybe if we keep walking, we'll come to a house or something." She sighed. More walking, yay. Raven looked down at her feet. She could already feel the bruises forming on the bottoms of them from the day. Quite frankly, she was afraid of walking at night. Especially with _him_. Considering that she would probably fall into a hole and he would leave her down there to die. You could never trust thieves.

"Fine, but—What the heck are you doing?" One of his arms swiftly went under her knees, the other under her back. Her breath was knocked out of her as he lifted her into his arms. He chuckled as he looked at her face, which was frozen in shock, her mouth hanging open.

"You might wanna close that. You might catch flies." She shut her mouth, a permanent frown etched upon her face. "You should eat more. You're too light." Her mouth formed a tight line.

"Put me down."

"Nope."

"Put me down _now_."

"Or what?" He smirked as he stared her in the eye. That was when one of his black boots entangled with a large Spruce's root, making him fall. Raven didn't have time to scream as he landed on her. All of the air in her lungs decided that it needed a break, leaving her breathless as a very well muscled man's body landed atop hers. She hit her head on something hard.

"Ow." She said after a moment of silence.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Just please get off of me." He slowly got up, and offered her a hand, which, for once, she took. As she stood up, something cold and smooth touched her ankle.

"Stay still." He hissed from clenched teeth. Raven's blood turned to ice as a very large, black snake slithered up her leg, underneath her towel.

"Can you see it's head?" Her eyes squeezed shut, for she knew the answer before he said it.

"No." Their eyes locked together, and, reluctantly, she nodded her at him. He had to do it.

"Is there any other way?"

"No. I'm sorry." She braced herself as his hand shot underneath the towel, by her inner thigh, and grabbed the head of the snake before it could strike. He pulled it away, thrashing, and pulled a knife from somewhere on his belt, deftly cutting the head off. Raven's eyes were on the ground as he tossed the head somewhere behind them. Then, he looked up at her.

"What's that for?" She asked warily.

"Dinner."

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><p>Hyper Giraffe, anyone? Anyone going to review? Anyone? Class? Anyone?...<p>

REVIEW! :D

Love you guys

-Knisley24


	4. My Fault

Two in one day...I'm on a roll. :D

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><p>Raven grimaced as he started to cook the dead snake.<p>

"What's wrong? What do you have against snakes?" He asked, almost as if it were a simple question, and people all over the world set their tables and ate snake for dinner all the time. Scratch that, they probably did. She made a face at that thought.

"You mean besides the fact that because of them, your kind was tempted, and thrown out of Eden? And that they are cold, slimy, and have no legs? Nothing, nothing at all."

"Our kind?" He turned away from the fire, trying unsuccessfully to look uninterested. Her eyebrows shot upwards.

"You don't know? I would've thought that you would've seen it on the news...or on the internet. I thought everyone knew."

"Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble Sunshine, but I'm not everyone. So please, don't put me in a box with all of these other...People...When you don't even know me." She held up a hand in defense, the other clutching her towel.

"I hope we find a town soon. I REALLY don't want to have to wear this for the rest of my life." He chuckled.

"What's wrong with that? I think it looks _sexy_ on you." He turned away from her to turn the snake, so he didn't see the sorceress's lovely white cheeks stain crimson. "What were you saying before this though? About yourself?"

"I'm not from earth." He turned to look at her, leaning back against a log, making himself comfortable. Raven perched atop a half rotted Spruce tree that had long ago toppled over after being struck by lightning and rained on many a time.

"And?" She shrugged.

"I'm not from earth."

"Right, we've established that. What I meant was _where are you from_?"

"Azarath."

"Another planet or dimension?"

"Dimension." She averted her eyes, tears welling up as she remembered her home world when it was whole and full of life. Only years later it had been destroyed. Because she had been born. She pretended to wipe an eyelash away as a tear fell, and got rid of the evidence. No way was she going to cry in front of him. Again.

"Hey," He was suddenly in front of her, one knee in the dirt, leaning towards her. His voice was gentle, even through the distorter. Not something she would've expected from a thief. "Don't cry. I'll stop asking if you don't want to talk about it. I'm right here if you do." Something about the way he had just said that, maybe it was because no one else would, or maybe because it seemed like he actually cared and no one else did, made her lose control. She turned her face to the side as tears slid freely down it. It was the first time that she had ever cried this way since the day before her 16th birthday. That was two and a half years ago; she was well over 18 now. She should've been handling it like a woman, but she couldn't. She rested her elbow on her knee, her hand automatically covering her eyes. She felt him plop down next to her, and hesitantly, place his hand on her back. His other hand gripped her wrist and drew her hand away from her face. He took one look into her violet eyes and knew instantly that this was something that had been locked inside of her for years and years. He wrapped the other arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him. She stiffened.

"You know, sometimes it's good to cry. You shouldn't hold things inside of you forever, because they end up destroying who you are. Let them out. If we didn't shed tears every once in a while, we wouldn't be strong." Cautiously, her arms wound themselves around him. He was taller than her, so she ended up burying her face in his chest.

"It's all my fault." Just the fact that someone finally cared made her tears myriad. Her body began to shake. Under the mask, X frowned.

"No it's not. It's mine."

"That's...Not...What I'm talking about." Her sobs were so powerful that they interrupted her speech.

"What is it? What's been bothering you?"

"My home. It's gone forever. And it was all my fault."

"I doubt that. How so?"

"You know that expression, "You'll wish you were never born"?"

"Yeah?"

"That's how I felt ever since I _was_ born." He was silent, waiting for her to continue. "My father was Trigon. Do you remember, years ago, when the world almost ended? Well, that was my fault." She continued on before he could interject something, or protest. "I was born to become a portal. On my 16th birthday, I would become a portal for my father's destruction. He destroyed Azarath first. Then he came to destroy earth. I didn't know that he was going to destroy where he was from. If I had, I would've killed myself, or—"

"Don't say that. It wasn't your fault. If you were born, it was inevitable. We are all born, and our destinies are decided. That doesn't mean that we can't change them. You didn't know that that was going to happen, and, anyways, in the end, you saved the earth, because I'm still here." They were silent for some time. Raven stopped crying.

"I didn't tell you everything earlier. About the rings." She pulled away from him a little, the towel sagging downward some, showing him a bit of her milky chest.

"What is it. Something's troubling you."

"The rings. They...On Azarath, they signify love between a couple. The female wears one their whole life, and when they meet the one they love, the male puts the matching ring on to show that he would like to be bound to her. When they are bound, their souls become one. They are forever one. The rings are stuck, and they cannot be dimensions apart."

"Is there some process that would help take the rings off?"

"There was. On Azarath, if you truly did not love the person anymore, for some odd reason, the monks would've been able to remove the rings."

"Would've. You used past tense."

"My planet was destroyed, remember?"

"Oh." He could tell something else was bothering her. She once again clutched her towel, and stood up, looking away. "What are you not telling me?" She turned and looked him straight in the eyes, even through the mask.

"When the female puts her ring on, the man she is destined to be with is already decided."

"And?"

"The ring will fit one person, and one person only."

"What's that supposed to—"

"X," She swallowed, "I have been wearing my ring since I was four years old. You came into my room that day. It wouldn't have mattered to me that you were messing with the ring. But the ring only fits one person. And you are the one that's wearing it."

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><p>If you read it, review please! Thanks, Love<p>

Your weird author that likes to change auto correct options...(I messed around some more with that...Sorry if something odd pops up in the middle of a paragraph or something)

-Knisley24


	5. Knowing

Sorry guys, computer was broken, and I was at the swamp camp-(only those of you who went would get that)-thanks for waiting patiently.

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><p>Raven walked over to the closest tree and leaned against it, trying without looking to gauge Red X's reaction. The forest was silent except for the chirping of what sounded like crickets. For a moment, she heard nothing. Raven turned around, unable to bear the silence any longer, and jumped, letting out a short scream. Red X stood but a foot behind her, head cocked to the side, hands on his hips.<p>

"I'm not sure I heard you right, Sunshine. Did you say that we're—"

"Yes."

"—soul mates?" She nodded her head once, curtly, and went and sat down in the dirt, leaning against a rotting log. "What are you doing?"

"Sleeping. Might as well, considering that we're probably going to need it." They sat in awkward silence for a moment, before Red X came and sat down next to her, the burnt snake now forgotten.

"That looks...comfortable."

"Yeah, well, there really isn't a bed out here or anything I can sleep on, let alone _in,_ so zip it." She leaned her head against the log, and closed her eyes, her back facing the mysterious man. Something long fell across her arm. She shot upward, her heart squeezing, eyes trying to focus on the black thing wrapped around her waist, afraid it was another snake. It tightened it's grip around her, and pulled her backwards until she hit something hard, yet comfy. "What the?"

"This comfortable enough for you Sunshine?"

"Get away from me." She silently cursed the day as it took it's toll on her and her eyes started to slide shut. The 'sun' had long ago set, leaving the two in the dark, with a small, dying fire, and a burnt snake. Red X let go of her, and moved a foot away. The towel was doing nothing to keep Raven's body heat inside of her, seeing as it covered just about what every other girl these days wore: barely enough. Raven began to shiver uncontrollably. She tried to still her vibrating body, but it was futile. She wrapped her arms around her knees and tried to sleep. Within moments she couldn't feel the rest of her body. It had to be less than 40 degrees, and the cold gusts of wind that rocked the trees weren't helping keep her warm. Abruptly, once again, something lowered itself onto her stomach, and wound itself around her like a snake.

"Still want me to go away Sunshine?" The man behind the mask was clearly amused. Where his arm was lying she could feel warmth seeping into her skin, almost burning it. By now her teeth were chattering so badly that she couldn't have said a witty comeback even if she'd had one. "Sunshine?" He asked again, sounding like he might actually be concerned. She shrank back into him, his warmth already slowly stopping the loud chattering. She could still feel Goosebumps running the length of her body. Then, without hesitation, she turned her body, wrapping her arms around him. He froze in shock, then, gradually wrapped his other arm around her. In truth, he felt like he was in a furnace inside of that stupid spandex suit. As soon as Raven had turned it felt like a block of ice had given him a hug. It felt...good. "Geez princess, you been sleepin' in a freezer lately?" She didn't answer. He looked down, and realized that she had fallen asleep, her head splayed on his chest. The dying fire's light flickered and swayed, making small shadows across the pale woman's features. He had never fully realized it before because the dang girl always had that stupid hood up, but, he had to admit one thing: She was beautiful.

"What the heck?" Beastboy yelled. "People don't just disappear! She had to have gone somewhere!"

"The question is," The boy wonder examined wet footprints leading out of the bathroom and into Raven's room, "where?"

"And with who?" Cyborg held up a black glove. The insignia was unmistakable. Starfire gasped.

"We're asking the wrong questions here. She wouldn't go willingly with Red X. Something must've happened. But what?" Robin began to pace back and forth, rubbing his chin in thought.

"And when?" Robin stopped to stare at the red, glowing symbol that seemed to be burned into the dark carpet in the empath's room. "And what does this mean?"

"Allow me to explain." Starfire leaned down and traced it with her finger tips. "Though Azarathian, this symbol is much like the one we have on Tameran." She sat there for a moment, as if contemplating it's true meaning. She glanced up from the floor, gazing fearfully at her other teammates. "I believe that it is like that of which we on Tameran put on our engagement rings...But slightly different." Starfire flew to one of the dark, cherry wood shelves that housed Raven's collection of books. She skimmed her fingers along the spines while the others pondered what the Tameranian had said. "AHA!" She cried as she flipped open a large, crimson book.

"**Azarathian history, laws, and everything an Azarathian needs to know**. Most convenient." She shuffled through the old, battered pages. "Here we go: **Chapter Seventeen: Love:**

**When a female Azarathian is young, her mother will gift her with a matching set of rings. As soon as the female has them in her possession, it is tradition that she put on hers. As soon as the odd, foreign metal touches the girl's skin, her matching ring will fit only one person: The person she is destined to be with, or the person most like her. The purpose of the two rings is to signify that the pair loves each other, while harmlessly binding their souls together (pg. 891) as soon as the male puts his ring on. In some cases, if the couple had fallen out of love, only the monks of Azarath could unbind the two's souls (pg. 568). The binding of the two souls would occur as soon as the male put the ring on. If, by some odd reason, the two did not love each other, and the male were to put his ring on, depending on how much affection there is between the two, it may be a painful binding process, or not. If the two did not love each other at all, they may be blown into a different dimension because of the force of the binding. If the two loved each other with unbridled passion, there would be no pain at all (continued in chapter 53)."** The rest of the team remained silent as Starfire shuffled once again through the large, dusty book's pages, turning to page 891. "**The Binding Of Souls:**

**The Binding of Souls is a very old tradition among the peoples of Azarath. It was long ago used to show a couple's undying love for one another. Much like many of the other dimensions in the universe, including Dimension X's Planet Earth, two rings are involved. Although, on Azarath, they are used to bind one another's souls together. This process may sometimes be harmful (pg. 899). When the souls of the two are bound to each other, they begin to understand each other better. In the case of two Azarathians, the stronger their love for each other is, the stronger their souls become united as one, and the more powerful they become when together. The only downside to the joining of the souls is that the two may not be many dimensions apart. If they are, well...No Azarathian couple has lived to tell the tale of what happens. Even if the couple is only 'towns' or 'cities' apart, they begin to feel a part of them missing." **Starfire began to once again shuffle through the pages. She stopped on 899.

"**...there are many different combinations of what could or couldn't go wrong with the Binding of Souls (pg. 768). In one case, a female Azarathian long ago fell in love with a male earthling..." ** Pages flipped...768. **"The worst possible or most fatal pairing would be of two who did not love at all, but merely happened upon each other by accident. Though there are not yet any recordings of such happenings, they would prove rather fatal. Two who did not love, and possibly even hated each other would most likely be blown into a different dimension by their hatred for one another. The only way to get back from that dimension would be to, as said in previous pages, possibly grow to like or maybe even love one another, thus strengthening their souls, and their power. However, if the two did not do as previously said, they would most likely be stuck in that dimension. Forever." **Starfire glanced up from the elegant, crimson piece of history, eyes wide with fear.

"The mark." She said. "The mark that is burned on the floor."

"Yes Star?" Robin swallowed. He didn't need an explanation, he already knew what had happened.

"It is what is on the rings. Friend Raven had one of those rings, she wore it all of the time just as it says she was supposed to in this book. They are called rings of Azar—"

"Wait, so you're telling me that Raven is...married to someone?" Beastboy asked incredulously.

"Not married, bound." Starfire said.

"And I have the feeling that the someone she's bound to..." Robin held up the almost plain stygian glove. A single, blood red X was splattered jaggedly in the center. "...It's Red X."

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><p>Dun Dun Dun! Muahahahahahaha! Please review!<p>

Love-

Knisley24


	6. Civilization!

Hope you guys like this! Over 2,000 words! :D Review!

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><p>Raven felt like she was on a boat. Rocking...rocking...rocking...back and forth...back and forth... She turned her head to the side, and felt something...quite warm, against her skin. Her forehead crinkled. Lazily, she slowly opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the light. She was left staring at red and black.<p>

"What the heck?" She tried to sit up, only to realize that she was _moving_.

"Whoa there Sunshine," Someone chuckled. Raven's eye shot open, now fully awake and alert, she gazed in horror at a gleaming white skull mask. "I know, I know," the man said, chuckling again, "not the best thing to wake up to in the morning." As if it had a mind of it's own, the side of Raven's mouth quirked up a little. A look of puzzlement adorned her features.

"Are you carrying me?"

"Well, considering how long I tried to wake you up...I finally gave up and just picked you up." She didn't have to see his face to know that he was grinning like a fool.

"Liar. I'm a light sleeper."

"You're a SLEEPER?" He laughed, and even though through the distorter it sounded somewhat creepy, Raven couldn't help it when she smiled. She reached out and lightly smacked him on the head.

"Not that kind." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Put me down."

"No can do Princess." Okay, now he was just getting annoying.

"Look, I appreciate you not waking me up and all, but I have two legs and can walk. Put me down, now."

"And I also have two legs and can walk. The only difference is that I am wearing shoes, and you, however, are not. I also have a belt that can transport me somewhere else if I want it to, so I am in charge." Raven tried to breathe through her nose to channel her anger. This little jerk thought that HE was in charge?

"Put me down now, or else." He seemed to think that was comical.

"Or else what? You'll come at me in a towel?" Raven blushed and buried her face in her hands. She had forgotten about that minor variable. She sighed in defeat and decided to try a new tactic.

"Please put me down?" X sighed.

"Y'know Sunshine, as much as I would like to, especially since you asked nicely, I can't."

"And why not?"

"Well, I just bandaged your feet about an hour and a half ago, and I don't want you messin' it up." Now this was just scary. It seemed that the thief did have a tiny bit of concern for others in him.

"Am I dead?" Raven asked bluntly.

"Why, did you see me and think that you died and had gone to heaven?" He choked back a laugh. She rolled her eyes at him. "No, why?"

"Well, first you stayed with me, then the thing with the snake when you could've let it bite me, and then last night...And now the foot wrapping and carrying me. Why are you being so...thoughtful?" Red X shuddered.

"I didn't realize that I was being thoughtful..." He looked down at Raven. "Dang you Sunshine, you're changing me. I need to steal something before you convert me." She tried to hold back a laugh, but it forced it's way out. "And here I thought you were the Ice Princess. Well, you sure proved me wrong." He continued walking for a moment, the silence soon turning a bit awkward. "So...what's your favorite color?"

"And you care why?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you probably won't need to use it for anything in the future..."

"Have you ever thought that sometimes, maybe someone is genuinely curious?"

"Blue."

"What?"

"My favorite color. It's blue."

"Huh. Interesting." He paused. "Wanna know what mine is?"

"No, not really. Although I'm sure you'll just tell me anyways." Raven said sarcastically. Before he could retort, Raven interjected. "Let me guess...Red? Black? Or both?"

"Neither actually."

"What do you mean, you only wear them all of the time."

"Yes, but you fail to realize that I am not the one who created the suit, I merely stole it. So, sadly, I did not get to choose the colors."

"Alright then, what _is_ your favorite color?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Right. Just tell me." That was the moment that X stopped walking. "What? What is it?" Raven turned.

"Civilization." He said bluntly. Raven's gaze fell upon a small town with many oddly dressed people milling about.

"Thank God. If I would've had to be near you for one more day I probably would've gone crazy."

"You mean normal."

"What?"

"Sunshine, I don't believe it is logically possible to 'go' somewhere that you already are." Her mouth dropped open as his body shook with silent laughter. "I'm kidding...or am I?" He continued forward into the small but much needed place. A frail woman seemed to spot them. As she meandered up to them, she began to speak.

"Quenal ge vostede? O'hal que está facendo aquíl? Vostede está aquí paro festivalia?"

"Great," Red X muttered, "Just great. We finally find a town, and we can't understand the people in the town." The small woman laughed.

"I am sorry," She said sincerely, "I asked if you were here for the festival."

"The festival?" Raven asked questioningly.

"Yes. We have a festival once the eight moons have passed our planet to honor those of us who died in battle against the Gordanians." The woman looked at Red X approvingly. "Your costume," She pointed at the man, "will do, however, yours," She flicked her finger at Raven, "will not." Red X set Raven down.

"When is this 'festival'?" He asked.

"Two moons from now." The woman saw Raven's look of confusion. "You are not from around here, are you?" When Raven shook her head the woman explained. "Two moons would be about two days in earth time, which I am guessing is where you are from?" The two nodded. "Come with me, I will get you fitted with proper attire," She said to the purple haired woman. "Do you two travelers need a place to stay?"

"Yes ma'am. If you could kindly tell us where we could find an Inn, I am sure that I could—"

"You would not be able to pay for a room with your earth money." The woman laughed. "You may stay with me for the time being. My house is just there." She pointed toward a large shack down what seemed to be a street. "You may go there while I get your wife something to wear." Raven blushed.

"He's not my—" The woman had already grabbed her wrist and was pulling her along. As they walked down the road, Red X could faintly hear the woman mutter, "My my, you two are a long long way from home. Decide to honeymoon in a different dimension?" He could still hear Raven protesting as he opened the door to the shack. He smiled. She seemed to be growing on him.

The old woman, whose name Raven had now learned and already forgotten because it had been so complex, dragged Raven to a shop whose sign she could not read. As soon as the two were inside, the woman began throwing things at the purple haired sorceress.

"But, I can't pay for all of—"

"Oh, hush dear. I'm buying it for you."

"Ma'am, you are being too kind, is there any way that I can pay you back?" The woman turned from what looked like a sales rack and stared Raven straight in the eye.

"No. I sense something special about you and your husband my dear. I am more than happy to help you."

"He's NOT my husband!" Raven said exasperatedly. The woman stared at her, confused.

"But you both wear the rings of Azar—"

"It was an accident." Raven set the pile of clothing on the floor and sat on one of the benches.

"Call me Keavy." She placed a comforting hand on the young woman's shoulder. "Tell me about it sweetie."

"Well, for starters, we are not husband and wife, we're not even _friends_, we're enemies." She took a breath. After telling Keavy the entire story, she concluded. "Our hatred for each other blew us somewhere else. I can't use my powers right now, and I'm not sure why, and I'm stuck with _him_ until we get out of wherever we are, and worst of all, the ring was only supposed to fit _one person_, and it had to be him. He is the most insensitive, arrogant, jerk faced person on the face of the earth! He's the _bane of my existence_." Keavy smiled at her, for an old woman, she was wise. What Raven didn't know, was that the old woman was a seer, what the people of her dimension called people like her. She had foreseen this.

"Really?" The woman said. "When I saw him, it seemed to me that he was being pretty nice to you. You did say _on the face of the earth_. Maybe because you're not on or in earth or dimension X he isn't acting like himself. Maybe you don't know him well enough to see the real him." Raven paused to consider this. "Now, let's get you out of this..thing that you're wearing."

Red X walked into the odd little shack that Keavy called home. Unsure of what to do, he sat down on top of what appeared to be a box. He glanced once around, then, reluctantly, pulled off his mask. As much fun as it was to be a thief, being stuck in that thing for long periods of time could get stuffy, and annoying. Suddenly, the doorknob-like thing turned, and he haphazardly slipped the thing back over his head.

"—just don't see why it had to be a dress. I hate dresses." He could hear Raven complaining from the other side of the door. He laughed quietly to himself while fixing his gloves. He looked up as he heard the two women enter the odd little house, and silently his mouth dropped open beneath the mask. Raven had stepped inside, and she was wearing something similar to that of which a girl on earth would party in. "This is worse than a towel." She scowled. He couldn't help it when his eyes trailed over her body. She couldn't tell anyways, she was helping Keavy carry in all of the other woman's things. For the moment, Red X was glad that he was wearing a mask, if he hadn't been, he would've looked like lustful teenager. Raven was wearing a simple blue, knee length type of dress, the style similar to earth's dresses, except that the neckline was a little...lower...than some. She even had on a pair of what looked like small simple blue flats. Her long purple hair was still straight and inviting.

"—X?" That was when he realized that she had been trying to talk to him for the past minute and a half.

"Huh?" He said intelligently.

"I was saying that Keavy said that we're in...well...We're in Dimension A of Quadrant 32."

"Sorry Sunshine, but I failed space geography when I was in school. In English please?"

"We're the furthest from home we could possibly be."

"Not true," Keavy broke in, while folding a pile of laundry, "you could've been blown into the undiscovered parts. That would've been a nightmare. Good thing you two don't hate each other _that_ much." The old woman stood, and grabbed the younger woman's arm. "Now, if you'll come with me, I'll direct you to your room."

"Did you say 'room'?" Raven asked suspiciously.

"Yes. I only have one other room with a bed in it, so you two will have to share." She said as she came to the end of a short hallway and pushed open the door. "Have a nice night!" She shoved the two into the room before they could protest, Red X slamming into Raven from behind. The two glanced at the somewhat medium sized room. One twin sized bed sat in the middle. Red X began to walk towards it.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Raven stood in front of him. "You're sleeping on the floor. I am NOT sleeping with you."

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it the other night." He crossed his arms.

"This is different. I'm actually wearing something warm this time," X snickered at the word 'warm', "and you put your hands on my—"

"It was an accident!" Although, behind the mask, he was smirking. Raven climbed on the bed, and chucked a pillow at the thief.

"You can have the floor." X sighed in defeat, and made a make-shift bed out of blankets on the floor. He linked his fingers together and stuck them behind his head, staring at the darkening ceiling. He could faintly hear Raven tossing and turning.

"Insomnia?" She stopped moving.

"How'd you know?" She asked suspiciously.

"Because I have it too." She sighed, her head falling back and hitting a pillow. "I almost forgot," X said as he turned his body to the side, "blue."

"What?"

"My favorite color." He whispered, "It's blue too."

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><p>Love it? Hate it? Hate to love it?<p>

Reviews much appreciated!

Love,

Knisley24


	7. Nightmares

Hello! Long time, no chapter! That might be because some IDIOT decided to HACK my freaking network, and thus messed up my internet. Thank you. Have a nice day. And if you are that hacker... let me just say that I will find you, and I will kill you. Not. I'm not Liam Neeson. Too bad. :D For now, please enjoy this chapter and a random mental picture of an old fat guy in a speedo! :D

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><p>"<em>No...No...Stop it...Leave them...ALONE!" <em>Raven sat up in bed, aware that for once in her life, the screaming was not hers. It seemed, to her, that Red X was having a nightmare of some kind. Slowly, and silently, she eased herself off of the bed, and stood up. As she peered through the darkness, she could just barely make out the shape of someone tossing and turning. _"Kill me! No, please! Leave them! NO! DAD!" _ Agony laced his voice. _"Please! Don't kill her, she's all that I have left now! PLEASE!" _With a start, Raven realized that the pleading voice was his own, not distorted by a fancy gadget. She looked to his left, and in the stygian room, could just barely make out the gleaming white that was his mask, on top of what looked like his folded suit. That left Raven with the disturbing mental image: was X naked? She made a face and quietly walked over to the crumpled heap of a person on the floor. He was face down, and she could just barely see a nicely defined upper back. His face was to the other side, and she bent down partially, and placed her hand on his back, shaking it.

"X," She said, "X, wake up, you're having a bad dream." It seemed that he was entirely immersed in it, and wouldn't wake up. She stood up, and abruptly, he was silent. It didn't occur to her that maybe silent was too silent for a thief. She turned as silently as possible towards the bed. Suddenly, something shot out and wrapped around her ankle. Raven fell to the ground, absorbing the impact on her elbows. It all happened too fast for her to react. In seconds she was underneath him, his body just barely holding her there, like he didn't want to hurt her. She was now facing down in his pillow, his hands encircling her biceps.

"_What did you see?"_ His voice hissed into her ear. She tried to suppress a shiver of fear, but to no avail. It etched its way up her spine, and, as it happens, thieves notice these things. "Are you... afraid?"For once, there was no smirk in his voice, only true curiosity. His grip on her arms slackened.

"I d-didn't see anything." She silently cursed herself as she heard the slight quiver in her voice, hoping he didn't notice. She felt like she couldn't breathe. His chest was pressed into her back, and, for some odd reason, she, Raven of the Teen Titans, couldn't form a coherent thought. He seemed to ponder this for a moment.

"I know I shouldn't, but...I trust you Sunshine." He was silent for a moment. "I guess it was my own fault, it just gets so hot and nasty in that suit, if I didn't want you to see me, I shouldn't have taken it off." He paused. "I'm sorry." Now he was apologizing? What the heck was going on?

"Am I crazy," Raven asked, "Or did you just apologize to me for no reason?" He laughed, and Raven could feel the vibration from it in her back. "If you don't want to wear the suit, and you don't want me to see you, all you had to do was tell me. I won't look, I respect privacy. Unlike some people." She let the unspoken sentence hang in the air. _Like you._ He was silent for a moment.

"Yeah, well, that was an accident okay? I thought I had the stupid blueprints to the tower worked out. It was your fault for having a room there." He huffed. Raven smiled, trying not to laugh at his ridiculousness.

"You do realize," she laughed, "That I've had my room there since before you became a thief?"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that Sunshine."

"Why not?" He didn't answer.

"Why'd you come over here?" He asked.

"You were having a bad dream, and I tried to wake you up."

"Did I say anything?"

"No." She lied. She could almost feel it when he cocked his head to the side.

"You're lying." X whispered next to her ear. Raven froze. How had he known?

"No I'm not." She could practically feel him grin. She swallowed. He let go of her arms, and wrapped his arms around her waist, planting a kiss on the back of her neck. Her eyes fluttered closed.

"You wanna to know how I can tell?"

"How?" She asked confused. Oops.

"Because you just admitted it to me." She sighed.

"Fine. You were saying some things."

"Like?" Darn him.

"Things."

"Sunshine, if you don't tell me, I'll find a way to get it out of you." It sounded almost threatening. Her heart squeezed, wondering what 'ways' he could possibly be thinking about.

"I just...don't want to tell you. When I have dreams like that, I don't like to relive them when I'm awake." Part of her wondered why she actually cared. She should just tell the stupid, cocky, lowlife so that he could be in emotional turmoil for the next day. More silence from him. She tried to squirm away from him, but his grip was too tight.

"I'm not finished yet. Why did you come over and try to wake me up? You could've just stayed in bed and slept."

"I was already awake." She mentally punched herself: He didn't need to know that. It was true though, she had been lying awake almost since they had 'gone to bed'. Although, she had fallen asleep for maybe half an hour at some point, only to jolt awake not long after.

"Why?" He was already making himself comfortable, now sliding into place next to her, arms still around her. But, for some odd reason, as if he was getting to know her better, he already knew the answer. "Hmm...Bad dream. You wanna talk about it?"

"With you?" She laughed. "Nope." She grabbed his hands, trying to escape. He quickly turned his hands and laced their fingers together.

"I can respect that." She lifted her eyebrows in surprise.

"Wonderful," she said sarcastically, "Now will you please let go of me?" She unwove their fingers and pushed on his hands.

"No can do Sunshine, if I let go of you, I risk you seeing my face."

"What, you don't trust me?" She asked with a hint of a smirk on her face. "I'll be lying awake all night anyways; you might as well let me do it across the room on the bed."

"No. I like you right where you are." He unwound his arms from around her. "Lay down." Raven silently did as she was told, knowing that this was a battle she would not win. She was caught off guard as he sat on her lower back.

"What are you—"

"_Relax Ma Cherie_, you are _way_ too tense." Raven arched an eyebrow. She had been called a lot of things during her eighteen years, but never _my darling_. Since when did he know French? Suddenly, he placed his hands on his back.

"What in the universe are you doing?"

"I'm giving you a massage. Isn't that what old married couples do for each other?" His hands kneaded the knots in her back.

"We're not old, and I wouldn't really count us as married." She could feel herself slowly unwinding. It was as if years and years of stress that had built up were falling away. "You're really good at that." She yawned.

"Thanks. I studied it at some point in my life. I can also do acupuncture." Moments later, her heavy eyelids closed.

"Thank you." It came out faintly, her breathing soon becoming deep and peaceful. Red X stopped, smiling to himself as he watched her sleep.

"No problem," he whispered as he too, laid down, his body somewhat overlapping hers. He pulled the blankets up around them, his arms once again ensnaring her as he rested his head on her back.

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><p><strong>YES! Review please! Thank you to all of you who have been sending reviews my way! I LOVE to open my email (now that my computer's internet works) and see how many I've gotten! <strong>

**Love**

**-Knisley24**


	8. Enemy

**Hope you guys like this chapter! LOVED the reviews, as for the hacker, I have hired a U.S marshal to track you down, but, while he is busy trying to catch Tom Cheney, I will have to do with Liam Neeson. That works for me, because he is a Jedi/crazy beat you up, kinda guy. He won me over at Jedi :D Love you guys! By the way, I hope my father is not a werewolf, but don't worry, I won't let him bite me if he is. **

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><p>Raven shifted eyes opening slightly. Red X's arms were wrapped around her waist, his face pressed into her back. She heard him sigh as he sat up, his arms letting go of her trapped body. It took everything Raven had to keep staring straight ahead. The only problem was that his mask was a few feet in front of her, staring back. Raven's eyes widened in confusion as X kissed the middle of her back, trailing kisses up her spine, warming her with each touch.<p>

"Are you awake?" He murmured against her skin. The only thing Raven's mind could form at the moment was an "mmmmmhhhmmm." He placed his lips next to her ear. "Close your eyes." He whispered. She obeyed, and waited until he slowly worked his way over her to turn around so that she was facing the bed, eyes still closed. A shadow fell over her, but she dare not open her eyes. "You can look now." He said. He was crouched next to her wearing the mask when she opened her eyes. So, it turns out he wasn't naked. He was wearing blue boxers.

"Why can I still hear your real voice?" She asked.

"I figured that if you've already heard it, then there's no use disguising it. I turned the modifier off."

"Thanks. It makes it a little less creepy. Although it is a little odd to see you wearing the mask and not the suit. It reminds me that you're human on the inside." She laughed as he chucked a pillow at her.

"We're all a little human on the inside Sunshine. How'd you sleep?"

"Surprisingly well considering that I was sleeping with the enemy." Red X laughed.

"We don't have to be enemies. I'm guessing that if we do ever get back, from what I know about you, I will be going to jail courtesy of you or your friends, so we might as well call it a truce." Raven frowned.

"Then you don't know me very well. I don't just turn people in left and right. And anyways, that's far ahead in the future, we should just concentrate on where we're at right now." X reached out and tucked a lock of purple hair behind her ear.

"Friends then?" He inquired.

"Friends." Raven confirmed with a nod of her head. They both started as there was a knock on the door.

"Are you two decent?" Keavy asked, making Raven blush. X laughed.

"She is, I'm not." Raven shot him a look that would've made any other man cry, but he just continued to laugh. "You wouldn't happen to have an extra set of men's clothes lying around, would you?"

"I thought you might ask that," the old woman cracked the door open and threw in a set of clothes, which he caught. "Those were my husband's." He immediately began to change clothes, starting with his boxers. Raven blushed an even deeper red than before, almost matching the color of the xs on his suit, and turned the other way. "I was thinking," Keavy said through the door, "That you two could venture out and explore the town today." X snorted softly.

"There isn't anything we haven't already seen." He muttered under his breath as he dressed. "It shouldn't even be called a town."

"I heard that. Mind you, just because I am an old woman, it doesn't mean that I don't have ears to hear. What you saw yesterday, it was only a small part of the town. You missed the beautiful trails and the frozen lake."

"But it looks like summer here," Raven said, confused, "How could there be a frozen lake?"

"There is a legend that goes along with it. I have been to the lake myself. They say that it will remain frozen, until it may help two lost souls find each other. It has been there for hundreds of years." X once again snorted.

"How could a stupid frozen lake help two people fall in love?"

"No one knows but the lake. You two should have a picnic on it, it's quite safe. That is where my husband proposed to me. Now why don't you two get ready, and then we will have breakfast together."

The threesome ate breakfast at a very small, four person table. Red X and Raven were seated on one side, Keavy on the other.

"Why does your planet seem so similar to ours?" Raven asked Keavy as she bit into something that resembled a bagel. X had rolled his mask up to eat, and was watching the two women talk. Keavy smiled.

"You are a smart young lady, I was sure you would've figured it out by now." The frail lady put down her own 'bagel', and leaned forward. "In every dimension, there are many planets like earth. They may have the same languages, or cultures." The older woman stood and took her dishes to the sink to rinse them off. "You should know my dear, Azarath is much like earth." Raven's hands tightened under the table, her nails piercing her palms. A drop of blood ran down her hand, staining her pale skin crimson. She bit her lip to hold back tears as she remembered the destruction of her home planet. Another hand stretched underneath the wooden table, grasping her fingers and forcing them flat.

"Relax Sunshine. She didn't know. You know that it wasn't your fault." His breath tickled her ear as he whispered. He enveloped her in a quick hug.

"You don't happen to have a shower, do you?" Raven asked, once she had masked her feelings.

"Yes. Three doors down from your room."

"Thanks." Raven got up and exited the room, her food barely touched.

"So...About this 'frozen lake'..." X tried to make polite conversation.

"Yes?" Keavy put a fresh plate of something that looked but did not smell like bacon on the table.

"Does it have a name or do people here just call it the 'frozen lake'?" The woman sat down in the chair across from him.

"It does in fact have a name. But, only the two that are destined to know it will know it. The rest of us are clueless." Red X rolled his eyes behind the mask. This 'true love' and 'destiny' crap was really starting to annoy him. "You think that this is a joke, don't you." It wasn't a question.

"Yep. Pretty much."

"You'd better change that attitude fast young man, because it's that type of thing that will end up getting that young woman killed." She pointed her spoon in the direction that Raven went. "I feel bad for her. She deserves better than a scumbag like you." Red X was speechless. He had never been degraded by an old lady before. "Unlike you, I will not keep my identity a secret from her. I am what my people call a seer. I can see things whether they are in the near future, or from the past." She narrowed her eyes at him. "And I have seen _you_. You take care of that young lady. She has been through more than you can imagine. You just can't see her hiding the pain every day. You call yourself a thief, but a thief pays attention to things. And you are completely oblivious."

"I pay attention to things." He defended himself.

"Oh, really? Did you know that she had a nightmare last night?" He nodded his head. "Do you know what it was about?"

"No, she wouldn't tell me."

"Then she doesn't trust you, and rightfully so. She's more valuable than anything you could ever steal, and you'd better realize that before it's too late. If you hurt her, so help me I will—"

"Are you two talking about me?" Raven asked from the open doorway, a smile on her lips. Her long, violet hair was soaking wet, plastered to her face and neck, and she was wearing a dress the shade of her eyes and hair.

"No dear, we were talking about the lake." Keavy glared daggers at the young man seated across from her.

"Uh yeah um...maybe we could go there tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan." Raven sat down. "Is there anything I can do to help you? After all, you are letting us stay in your house. The least I could do was clean it up a little."

"Actually, you _can_ help me with something," The aged woman stood up, white hair flying everywhere as she shuffled to the counter and picked up a box. "Why don't you two go into the town square and set up my stand for tomorrow's festival."

"Perfect." Raven grasped the box and walked to the door. "Why don't you go take a shower, and I'll get started." She said to X. Without waiting for a response, she walked out the door without a backward glance.

Raven, after much frustration, finally found the spot where Keavy's stand was supposed to sit. She set the box on the ground, and began constructing it. It appeared that Keavy was going to sell cookies shaped like skulls tomorrow. She smiled and picked up a cook book.

"Excuse me Ms." She turned at the sound of the male voice. "Do I know you?" The smile was still frozen on her face as she glanced at the person standing behind her. The book slipped from her grasp, falling open as it dropped with the dust of the road.

"Rorek." The word died in her throat. The shining white hair, the white scarf tied around the bottom half of his face, the silver eyes. No, wait. That voice. It sounded just like _his_.

"No." He grinned wickedly. She backed up and hit the edge of the stand, bruising her side. He took a step towards her. Her eyes widened with panic.

"Malchior." Her breathing was becoming erratic. He took another step towards her. _It's just your imagination. Lack of sleep has done that to you before. _Her mind ran in circles. He reached a hand out towards her, and brushed her cheek.

"Hello _Sweet Raven_, you look lovely as ever. Wonderful to see you again." Despite knowing what he was, her eyelids fluttered at his touch.

"Stay back!" She yelled feebly.

"Sunshine?" Someone called from behind her. "Are you alright?" Red X stopped short as he saw the man standing in front of her. "Stay away from my wife." He growled. Raven blinked, and saw that the man standing in front of her wasn't Malchior, but a young man with short silver hair, trying to steal the box of money that was for Keavy to use to make change tomorrow. Her face contorted with confusion. The man backed away.

"Sorry. I-I didn't know." He ran off. Red X quickly pulled her into a hug, smothering any complaints she could've made about the 'wife' thing. He pulled away some when he realized that she was shaking uncontrollably.

"Are you alright?" She wouldn't look him in the eyes as she answered.

"Peachy." She tried to stifle the tremors. In the end she ended up crossing her arms and claiming that she was cold. "I'm going to go talk to Keavy. You finish setting things up." She ran back towards the house. He didn't see the tears streaming down her face, or the man with silver hair and a malicious smile lounging at the stand about thirty feet in front of him.

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><p><strong>Please review!<strong>

**Love**

**-Knisley24 :D**

**P.S ALCshouldbdoinhw - I love you. He is perhaps my favorite character from X-Men :D**


	9. Green

MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I am back, with another lame chapter! Evil beware! I have cookies!

Anyways, I just wanted to thank you guys for the reviews, and wanted to say** jabigaeltan, **I hoped that it was kind of obvious. Although, how something happens...maybe for her and Red X... Or someone else... You will not expect it. *GRINS EVILLY*

P.S- You should NEVER underestimate an old lady. Never. Or you will not live to see another day. :D

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><p>"Keavy!" Raven flung the door open, tears still streaming down her pale, fear stricken face.<p>

"Yes dear?" The aged woman took one look at the purple maiden's face and ushered her to a chair. "Was it that jerk?"

"Is there a dragon here?"

"What do you mean honey?" Keavy asked, confused.

"Is there a dragon, or powerful sorcerer here?"

"Yes, there are many, why? They always come for the festival. We have the Dragon dance ceremony every time."

"Have you ever heard of the mythical dragon Malchior?" Raven's fear level was rising.

"The one that the sorcerer Rorek defeated by trapping in the book of Nol? Yes, why?" They didn't notice the shadow that fell across the door behind them.

"Because I released him from his book long ago. He lied to me, he changed the names in the book, made me think that he was the sorcerer fighting the dread dragon Rorek. He made me think that...I thought...He was the first person that cared...He was the same as me..." She broke off, crying. The other woman patted her on the back, trying to comfort the broken hearted girl. "I trapped him back in the book, and I have to live with him taunting me every day. A part of me still loves him, and he knows that. He uses that. He used me. He's still using me. I just don't understand how he could've escaped from the book. He was bound to it." She looked the old woman in the eyes. "I know that you are a type of sorcerer. I can feel it. Do you know how he could've—"

"Yes. He hasn't escaped from the book yet; it is because of the festival that he is back. He is part of the Dragon Dance every moon cycle. You said that you've released him from the book before?"

"Yes."

"Then you must stay away from him, because there are only two people in the universe that can release him from his prison: Rorek is dead. You are all that is left for him. And there is more than one way out of that book, and he will do anything to get out."

"What do you mean 'more than one way out'?"

"If he can manipulate you enough, he will be able to steal your power."

"But, I haven't been able to use my power for the past week, how would he be able to—"

"You are eighteen yes? On your planet, that is the age when your powers mature the most. You lose your powers for a short time, only to gain them back, and for you to be even stronger. It won't be long now if it has been a week. Steer clear of anyone you think might be him."

"But, the thing is, when I saw him, one second he was there, the next second, when I blinked, it was someone else."

"That's a bad sign; it shows that his abilities have grown overtime if he can possess someone else's body. Be very careful child, don't let harm befall you." She stood up. "Come now dear, let's clean up the house, it will take this bad day off of your mind."

As the sun set, the two women had the house looking spotless. Raven stuck her hand to her forehead and leaned against the faded yellow wall, dizzy. Red X walked by, and stopped, backtracking. "You alright Sunshine?"

"Yeah, just a little dizzy." She swallowed, a light sheen of sweat coating her forehead. "I'll be fine." She peeled herself off of the wall, and tried to walk around him, only to stumble in front of him. He stepped towards her, catching her deftly, and put a hand on her forehead.

"You're burning up." He swept her off her feet and carried her down the hall to their room, setting her on the bed, and making sure she was covered before she could protest.

"What are you doing?" Her eyelids stayed closed, her head pounding.

"Helping you feel better. You should get some sleep, it'll make you feel better. I'll make you some soup." As he left the room, she closed her eyes, drifting off whether she wanted to or not.

_Hello sweet Raven. _

Raven's head jerked violently to the side as she slept, her fists clenching on top of the blanket as a handsome man with white hair and silver eyes stepped into her line of vision.

_Get_ _**OUT OF MY HEAD! **_The man laughed. Scales began to form on his body as he morphed into a large dragon the color of Raven's hair. It let out a roar.

_But, sweet Raven, we have unfinished business. _His silver eyes still gleamed wickedly with a smug smile as his tail gripped Raven in a bone-crushing hold and hurtled her towards his open mouth. Thousands of gleaming teeth waited to rip her apart.

Raven bolted upwards, screaming, tears blurring her eyesight. She slammed into something sitting in front of her. Red X held her to him, rubbing her back as she sobbed. She buried her face in his neck.

"He lied. Why did I have to believe him? Why can't he leave me alone?" She cried.

"Shhhh. It's alright. He's not here right now, I am. I'll keep you safe." After some time, she stopped crying. "Will you tell me...What he did to you?"

"In my dream? Or back home?" She after-crying hiccupped.

"Both."

"I...No. I'm sorry. It's just—"

"Sunshine, if you can't trust me, then I won't be able to live with myself. I'm not going to use it against you; I just want to know what happened. Look, I know I'm not the best guy to be asking you to put your trust in, but...Please?" He let the last word hang in the air. Raven sighed.

"Two years ago, back at the tower, I found a book in my room..." Thus, Raven began to spin the tale of false love and twisted deception that had held her to it's web for years now. After she finished, the two sat there for a few moments. "You don't seem surprised." She said suspiciously.

"Oh, that's because I'm not. I already heard it."

"What?"

"I might've been eavesdropping earlier when you and Keavy were talking and—"

"You jerk!" She pushed on his chest, trying to pull away from his hug. "This is all still some joke to you! I can't believe that I actually believed that you cared for a moment there!"

"I do."

"Then why would you make me repeat that? Do you know how hard it is to talk about that? NO!"

"You're right, I don't. But earlier, I heard it by accident. I wanted _you_ to tell me about it. _If you wanted_ to. _When you wanted_ to." Oddly enough, it made sense to her. It was actually kind of...thoughtful.

"Thank...you?" She was feeling a lot of things at the moment, but she wasn't sure if gratitude was one of them. She cocked her head to the side, unaware that his habits were beginning to rub off on her, as she realized something. "Were you...Watching me sleep?"

"Yes. You are very violent when you have nightmares. At least I only scream like a little girl, I swear you tried to slug me twice." He laughed. As she was laughing, his hair brushed her face. She stiffened.

"You're not wearing a mask."

"Well, you were asleep for a very long time." Now she felt guilty.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Well," She could practically feel him smile, "In the words of a friend, 'I was already awake'."

"Bad dream?"

"You could say that."

"You want to...talk about it?"

"Not right now. We should both go back to sleep."

"I don't know if I want to." She bit her lip, the image of a certain purple dragon staining her thoughts. Before he could respond, she had began to pull away, realizing a second too late that she had forgotten to close her eyes. She squeezed them shut. "I'm sorry, I—" He cut her off with a laugh while he put his fingers underneath her chin lifting her head.

"It's okay Sunshine, you can't see anything anyways. It's _way_ too dark. You can open your eyes." She did as she was told. He was right, it was dark. But he was also wrong about something. She could see his eyes. They were the most vibrant green she had ever seen in her life, and when he looked her in the eye, an electric current sparked in her body. There was something about them; too...Something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Pain. His eyes had a certain touch of pain to them, as if he had been through a lot. Their gazes stayed locked: Green and purple. Without averting his eyes, he brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. "It's nice to finally look you in the eye." He half whispered, then, reluctantly, blinked and looked away. "We should be getting to sleep—"

"Wait," Raven grabbed his arm. He turned and looked back at her. "Will you..." She sighed. There was no easy way to ask him that. "You can sleep up here...if you want..."

"I'm okay." She didn't let go of his arm.

"Please? I...want you too." He cocked his head to the side, she could feel the smile that was meant for her, though she could not see it.

"Why?" He prompted.

"Well...Last night...I was awake most of the night because I had...Well, a bad dream. And when I went to wake you up and we both slept over there...That was..." She put her face in her hand. "Mmhhhphphhhhhmmmmhmmmphhhmmm." He laughed.

"What? I can't understand hand talk." She sighed.

"That was the best night's sleep I've had in a long time." She whispered. It was true. He had noticed that before the other night, there were dark smudges beneath her eyes. In fact, the same smudges were beneath his eyes, it was just that she didn't see them because he was wearing a mask.

"Alright." She looked up, meeting his green eyes again. "But if we are going to sleep together," Raven made a face at his choice of words, "Then we're sleeping on the floor. The carpet's more comfortable that the bed. I think that's a piece of cardboard with a sheet on it." A strand of laughter escaped her lips.

"Fine by me." He picked the pillows and blankets up off of the bed and began to construct something similar to a bed on the floor. She stood and walked over to where he was already laying. "X?" She poked him with her foot. His hand shot out and gripped her ankle, pulling her down. He had rolled over on top of her and in seconds it seemed that they were in the same predicament as last night. "Was that really necessary?"

"No, but it was fun." She couldn't help but laugh along with him. She smiled evilly.

"Can you go grab that blanket that's over there on the bed?"

"Sure." He said, suspicious. As he stood up, Raven grabbed his ankle, pulled him down and rolled over on top of him. "Mphhh."

"What was that? I don't speak pillow." Raven laughed.

"You know Sunshine, if I didn't know you better—"

"You _don't _know me."

"—I would think that you were _suggesting _something." Suddenly, he was facing her. She hadn't even felt him move. The laughter died in her throat as one of his hands trailed along the back of her leg, curving inward until it rested at the top of her inner thigh. His other arm was wrapped around her back.

"What are you doing?" She managed to choke out. He let go of her and watched as she stumbled backwards and sat up.

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why _everything_. You've been messing with me lately and it's driving me nuts. I wanna know why."

"What do you mean _messing with you_?" He asked, confused.

"What you just did. You've been kissing me on the neck too. Why? Is it because I'm the only girl here right now? Because you hit on anything that's dressed like a girl? Why?"

"To tell you the truth, I hadn't even really realized that it was bothering you. I'm sorry. It just...felt right...in a sense."

"That's because we're—"

"Yeah yeah _bound_. But that's not what I meant. I meant it felt good to me." Even though she couldn't see it in the dark, she knew he made a face as soon as the words were out of his mouth. "Wow, I probably sound like a pervert now."

"No. It's...okay. I understand where you're coming from." She rested her head on the pillow. After a few moments of silence, she heard him huff indignantly.

"I do not hit on anything that's a girl!"

"Yes you do."

"Do you live with me? No. I have plenty of neighbors that would vouch for me by saying that I DO NOT hit on any girl."

"Starfire?"

"Gross. She's too...Bright and cheerful. I prefer the darker...a little quieter types. I only hit on her because it makes Robin go ballistic." He seemed to be contemplating something. "Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

"You know what I mean."

"Fine."

"If...You didn't like it, why didn't you tell me to stop sooner?"

"I never said I didn't like it. And I didn't tell you to stop. I just asked why you were doing it." He grinned at her, and poked her in the ribs.

"You like it." She didn't answer. "Come on Sunshine, humans don't fall asleep that fast."

"I'm not human though." _Dang it, this time _he_ caught _me_. _She turned on her side, ignoring him, and cursed Keavy as she remembered that this stupid night-gown/ dress thing had no back. She pulled the blanket up around her body.

"Why, Sunshine, I've never heard you use such a colorful vocabulary before." He paused for suspense, grinning evilly at the violet haired girl. "I like it." Abruptly, he yanked the blanket down from her back. She reached for it, but his hand gripped hers in a death hold. "Now," He said as he placed his lips against the skin along her spine, "All you have to do is tell me that you don't like it, and I'll stop." He proceeded to make his way slowly upwards.

"You are freaking evil."

"Raven." He murmured into her back, causing her to shiver. He had never said her name before. He always _purposely_ called her Sunshine. But the way that he had just said it made her insides melt.

"Stop." She said, tortured. He was at the top of her back now, and he swept aside her hair. His other hand let go of hers, and slid onto her hip.

"Raven." He gently bit her neck, and rested his face on her back, apparently done with his insane form of torture. His hand slid down from her hip and on to her stomach, draped over her side. She could feel his breathing soften, but could feel her own heart pounding against her ribs. Soon he was snoring. It was then that she decided to exact her revenge. She began to turn, until the arm that was draped over her side ensnared her, holding her back to his chest. Outside, a faint shaft of light poked it's way through the window. "I never took you for the type who liked revenge Sunshine." Her shoulders fell in disappointment, and she had no choice but to close her eyes.

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><p>REVIEW!<p>

LOVE YOU GUYS!

Love

-Knisley24 (Not in that perverted way though. Gross.)


	10. Thing of Beauty

Hey Hey Hey guys! I have brought another lame attempt at a good Red X/ Raven story chapter to you! I hope you decide to review...19 more and I'll hit 100! And **that, **my dear readers, will ultimately make my day/ week/ month/ year/ life :D So please, do feel obligated to review. And, for the record, babies are adorable, even when they are projectile vomiting all over on you. Have a wonderful evening.

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><p>Raven felt something blowing across her face. She shifted, but couldn't get rid of the feeling. She was too comfortable to worry about what it was. Sleep was calling to her. She faintly realized that she was slowly moving up and down, and something was touching her forehead. She reluctantly dragged her eyelids open, and was suddenly aware that her arms were wrapped around Red X's torso, and the blowing was his breathing as he slept. Her head was lying against his chest, so the 'something' touching her forehead was most likely his chin. She remembered the events of the night before and slowly began to pull her arm out from under him. She paused, and silently blew out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding when she heard his normal sleep-breathing pattern continue. As she began to lift her head off of his chest, he stiffened, and she stopped breathing. A moment later, he once again was snoring. She turned her face towards his, smiling now that she finally would get to see his face in the light. She blinked, and frowned, her face flopping back down onto his chest. Somehow, without her feeling him move, he had put his mask back on.<p>

"Stupid thief." She muttered.

"Don't worry Sunshine, you'll learn to cope with disappointment someday." Her head bounced against his chest as it shook with laughter.

"I already have. I'm still sitting in this room with you, aren't I?" She let out a brief laugh before she was gently punched in the arm.

"Are you flirting with me?" Red X asked playfully. Raven couldn't decide whether to be annoyed or angry with him. She never really could decide what she was feeling when she was with him.

"Uh-I don't know. I've never really... 'Flirted' with anyone before." Raven admitted. There was a loud banging sound on the door. Raven began to sit up, but was pushed down, a blanket pulled over her face. She squirmed, but he held her down. Red X couldn't help but think about how hilarious it was when she tried, very feebly, to fight him. It was almost kind of..._sexy_.

"NO!" Red X grinned evilly; the mask was pulled up a little as he yelled. She struggled underneath him. "WE'RE NOT DECENT!" He laughed. Raven's head broke free from the clutches of the green, fuzzy blanket, furious. She gasped for breath.

"Don't listen to—" He wrestled her back underneath the blankets, laughing. She kicked and shoved, to no avail.

"My my, by the sound of it," Keavy's voice, muffled by the thick wood of the door, was filled with mirth, "I might have a baby on my hands soon." Red X laughed as Raven's face, her cheeks entirely crimson, popped up from underneath the blanket. She tried to push him off, but, without her powers, he had the upper hand. "You guys have slept part of the day away. It's lunchtime." Keavy left.

"You are a freaking jerk." Raven spat as Red X rolled off of her. Her hair was disheveled, and when he looked at her, he couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. Come to think of it, he realized that he had never laughed this much before. He also realized that he had never seen Raven laugh or smile before their little 'mishap' and he was finding that, when he thought about the future, a part of him would be longing for it.

"C'mon Sunshine, it was just a joke." Raven stood up and walked out of their room and into the kitchen.

"I think you two should hurry and get dressed and go picnic on the frozen lake." Keavy was shoving things into what looked like a picnic basket.

"What time does the festival start?" Raven asked.

"Well, you'll want to be here in three cycles, because that's when the transport starts."

"The transport?" Red X had come up behind Raven, and was stretching.

"Yes," Keavy grabbed a jar of something and shoved into the basket, then walked towards a door, "to Earth."

"What?"

"Every 'year', the festival of the dead, kind of like what the Spanish celebrate, is held on a different planet in a different dimension. This 'year' or time cycle, as we call it, it is to be held on earth." Raven could feel her stomach churning, thinking about going home. And she couldn't help but wonder what would happen when she got home. "Now go get dressed."

Minutes later, Red X had put his suit on, and Raven was wearing what she kept calling, "a stupid death trap," which included a dress and something resembling really high high heels.

"How exactly is this supposed to keep me warm?" She insisted on asking the older woman.

"It's not." Keavy handed her a thick, large blanket. "This is. Have your picnic on the lake while sitting on this, and you'll be fine." She quickly pushed both of them out the door. "Have fun." Raven got the odd feeling that the woman knew something she didn't. And it creeped her out.

"So..." Red X tried to strike up a conversation as they walked by one of the stands. She kept her eyes straight ahead.

"Put it back."

"Put what back?" Raven stopped walking and spun to look at him.

"Put whatever you just stole back where you stole it from."

"I didn't steal anything...yet." The way he said 'yet' made her wonder what he was thinking about stealing. Raven turned back around and continued marching, following the signs that she couldn't read. "How do you know where to go?" He asked.

"Don't talk to me."

"Why?"

"WHY?" She asked, exasperatedly, "Because of that _stupid _stunt you pulled back in our room!" She was annoyed with how lighthearted he was all of the time. "And you stealing something from that man's stand. But I suppose that that was you 'looking out for number one' right?" She could see the frozen lake looming in front of her, a sign wedged in the ground a few feet in front of it. She understood what Keavy had meant by it being a thing of beauty, it was almost too beautiful to look at. Suddenly, he grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, and spun her around and pushed her against a tree.

"Let me be the first to let you know that there's more than one 'Number One' in my book, and _I am not one of them._" He hissed at her through clenched teeth. "You have no idea what I have to go through everyday back home. You live in a well furnished tower, living your life freely. I steal because I know that I have to."

"But no one has to steal—"

"_I steal because I have to_. _I steal_, because if I don't, people will _starve_. Did you ever think that maybe there are more than two sides to life, not just good and evil?" She jerked herself away from him, and walked out onto the lake, the thick ice giving no signs of life beneath its frostiness. "There's more than just black and white!" He called. "There's gray."

"Stupid, stupid thief!" Raven muttered under her breath.

"I heard that!" Back on land, Red X kicked the edge of protruding ice that stuck up from the soil. "Stupid Ice Princess." He heard a loud cracking sound, as if a tree was being struck by lightning. Then Raven screamed. He looked up just in time to see the white, white ice swallow her, dragging her down to the murky depths of the lake. His eyes widened beneath the mask, and he swore. Without a second's hesitation, he sprinted across the now cracking ice and dove deep down. His body, though protected by the suit, went into shock as soon as it touched the water. To say that it was cold would be the biggest understatement of the century. He squinted in the dank water, eyes darting to and fro, searching. Finally, his gaze landed upon a struggling shadow. He surged forward, already pushing the limits of his breath holding capability. Automatically, his arms wrapped around the panicking form, he began to kick towards the surface. He broke the surface, gasping, while Raven coughed, choking, unable to rid her lungs of the large amount of water. He tapped his belt, which he had forgotten about, and they both landed with a hard thud on the grassy bank. He wasted no time, already pumping her chest, until all of the water burst out from between her blue lips. He let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and realized that Raven was shivering uncontrollably. Because, unlike him, she wasn't wearing something that could handle temperatures that low, and was water proof. Afraid he'd lose her, he tried to think back to his survival courses. **"When soaking wet in freezing temperatures, make sure you strip clothing to and huddle together to conserve body heat and avoid hypothermia." **His fingers found the zipper on her back, and he shucked her dress. Her eyelids fluttered, causing him to pause. All she was wearing now was a matching set of black, lacy underwear and a bra. He stopped, knowing that she would see him as an even worse person if he went any farther. No matter how much he wanted to. He slid the temp-controlled suit off of his body, and grabbed the thick, shaggy blanket. He slid his arms underneath Raven's knees and back and set her body on top of the now laid out blanket. He dropped down beside her, laying there, and pulled her to his chest, her cold body against his warm one, then wrapped the blanket around them. X buried his face in the crook of her neck, unable to help pressing his lips against the pale, beautiful skin there. Minutes passed, and he could slowly hear the beautiful sound of her heartbeat returning, somewhat, back to its normal rate. Her purple locks brushed against his face as she shifted. Raven's eyelids opened, weakly, and X retracted himself from her neck.

"Who are you?" Raven's throat was scratchy, and she sounded confused. He raised an eyebrow, confused also. There was only one Red X mask, after all. He hadn't thought that the water's coldness would make it that hard for her to remember.

"Oh, thank God. I thought I'd lost you. It's me." Raven's eyes widened, a small gasp escaping her lips, and her hand came up, sluggishly, to skim her fingertips against the skin next to his temple. He realized, annoyed, that some of his dark locks were hanging in his face. And froze.

Since she had been stuck with him, she had felt a sort of pull towards him, and imagined him to be decent looking. But she had never imagined someone like him, a common thief, to be so...handsome. His black hair was disheveled, no doubt the result of the mask, though she had to admit that it looked attractive. His somewhat pale- somewhat tan skin...and then there were the eyes. The eyes that she had seen before, although this time, they were searing into her, the rest of his face mere inches from hers. And then there were his lips. Pale, and, even when he wasn't meaning to, it seemed they were always in some sort of smile. _He's devilishly handsome,_ Desire giggled in her mind. Raven tried to bury her with thoughts.

"You're not...wearing...it." She said with difficulty. His eyes darted over to the lake, and, sure enough, a white skull was floating across the entirely melted ice lake. He swore. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" His eyes were on hers, and, more than once, he caught himself gazing at her blue lips, only inches away from him. Taunting. Waiting.

"If I hadn't...It was...My fault..." She trailed off, coughing once. He frowned.

"It's not your fault. It was all mine. I shouldn't have let you go off like that. I'm sorry I've been acting the way I have. You have to believe me when I say that I didn't steal anything from that stand. I should've just been honest with you from the start. Told you the truth. Then we wouldn't have been in this predicament."

"The...Truth about...What?" She licked her lips, and his eyes followed her tongue.

"Me." She slowly shook her head. Around them, the 'sun' dipped a millimeter, the birds in the trees chirping happily. The frozen lake was full of silence as the two stared at each other.

"You don't need to tell me right now." She paused, as if to consider something, and looked off to the side, where her dress and the suit lay, sopping wet, right next to each other. "Is that my...?"

"It was the only way to get your blood flowing again. We're too far away to teleport with the use of my belt, otherwise that would've been the first option." She blushed, realizing that she was wearing only her bra and underwear. Then, even more so as she realized that he, too, was only wearing underwear. Then she looked at him, deadly serious.

"You saved my life. You came back for me...Why?"

"I don't know...I didn't think, I just...did." She nodded once, surprised.

"X, maybe we should—" He cut her off.

"Jason." Her brow furrowed.

"Wha—"

"My name," Those deep green eyes bored into hers, so much that she almost couldn't bear it. For some, odd reason, they were sending shivers down her spine. "Is Jason." He was alluring.

"Jason." He smiled at her, and inside, happy and desire were dancing in a circle giggling. Her core felt warm, as if his gaze was melting the ice that was around her heart too.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to tell you that." His voice was husky.

"Maybe we should—" He looked reluctant, but rolled over, above her now, about to stand up so that he could offer her a hand, but...He stopped himself. Her legs were in between his knees, and he was straddling her, leaning over her, their faces centimeters apart. A strand of longing and desire swelled in his chest as he gazed down at her lips, the blue slowly but surely receding. But it wasn't receding fast enough for him. Raven's breath quickened as his lips crashed down upon hers. She moaned, only causing his lust for her to grow. Her fingers threaded themselves into his hair, holding his face to hers, though he couldn't imagine moving away. His hands were springing forth a wildfire wherever they touched her skin, circling her shoulders, running through her silky threads of hair, skimming her arms. He pulled her closer to him, unable to ever get close enough. He reluctantly pulled away, gasping, allowing her a breath.

"What-Are-You-Doing?" She panted, eyes half closed with ecstasy.

"Warming you up." His lips were back on hers without missing a beat, as he hungrily sought out her mouth, his tongue vying for dominance. All of the warmth in her body rushed down and pooled between her legs. Her hands ran along his back, his chest...his shoulders. His lips skimmed down her neck, biting, leaving his mark. She gasped, making it harder for him to control himself.

"Jason." He moaned, the word sounding so beautiful, so perfect, falling from her now red lips. He slipped his hands underneath her bra, and she gasped. She pulled his mouth up to hers, one of her creamy white legs wrapping itself around his waist. Then, suddenly, Jason removed his head from her chest, the hand in which he held her bra freezing. Raven, too, stiffened. A stick cracked in the distance. Raven quickly shoved her hands through the straps, hands shaking as she tried to redo the clasp before someone saw her. She was sitting up now, on her knees, Jason not far from her. In fact, he was so close that his breath fanned across her face, her knees weakening under his burning green eyes. His hands slid around her back, skimming along it as he fastened the black lace for her. He growled low in the back of his throat, angry at whoever had decided that now was the time that they would stop by the lake.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked.

"I want you." His hands were on her sides. She shivered under his intense gaze. Her insides were like pools of mush. "We'll finish this later." He stood up, reluctantly, and grabbed his suit, handing it to Raven.

"But—"

"Your dress is wet, you can wear that for now, and I'll just wrap myself in the blanket." He watched, sadly, as she slid on the black fabric. He then came up behind her, drawing the zipper, slowly up her back. "You look much better in it than I do." She blushed, and his hand came up to cup the back of her neck, his fingers over her pulse. He leaned down and kissed her, sweetly. Raven stood on her tip toes, deepening the kiss. Behind them, someone cleared their throat.

"Well then," Keavy tried to hide her smile as she stared at the two. "I just thought that I'd come and tell you two that the transport will be starting soon. Guess I came at a bad time." Jason turned and looked at her, smiling.

"You knew." He said simply. When she didn't deny this, he shook his head. "You came at a _very _bad time." Raven rolled her eyes.

"Yes, well, if you come back to the house, you'll have time to eat something, seeing as you _forgot_ about lunch. And we can get you some clothes." Jason stepped forward, beginning to follow Keavy as she walked back to the house.

"Wait," Raven grabbed his arm, "You forgot this." She handed the wet skull mask back to him. He smiled at her, causing her heart to stutter.

"I won't be needing that anymore." He looked at her questioningly. "How did you get it?" Raven blinked, realizing something.

"My powers! They're back." She smiled. "Keavy, what are the transports, anyhow?" The woman's next words however, made her stomach drop.

"Dragons." The woman continued to shuffle forward. "Well, it looks like the legend has come true. No more frozen lake. Too bad that I didn't get to see it one last time. It was beautiful, wasn't it? Definitely worth coming out to see."

"Yes," Jason said, his gaze never wavering from Raven. "It was definitely worth it." Their rings glinted in the light as their fingers threaded together.

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><p>My goodness, that was bad. I hope your eyes aren't bleeding. Love it if you review. Also- what do you think should happen next? Just wondering, I already have it planned out, but you could always change my mind :D<p>

Love

-Knisley24


	11. Festival

Thanks to those of you who have been reviewing! This story is going to wrap up within the next few chapters, and I have a plot twist at the end...(Rubs hands and laughs evilly) Please continue to review! I would like to be well over 100, especially with 11 chapters up! Thanks!

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><p>"So, <em>Jason<em>, what was that dream of yours about?" Raven asked. They were walking along the dirt path to the transport, which, they had found, was well outside of the town. After stopping back at the house, they had changed their clothes and left their sopping wet ones in the bathroom.

"My dream?" He laughed nervously. Raven gave him a hard look. He sighed. "It was about my parents. If I'm going to tell you about my dream, I might as well tell you everything." He looked forward towards Keavy, who was walking only a few yards ahead of them. "When I was young, I lived a great life. I had two parents, we lived in a nice, beautiful house in Gotham, you know, all of the things that normal people would take for granted. Then, one night, a man broke into our house." Jason's eyes flicked to Raven's face, gauging her reaction. "He pulled out a gun. I was hiding under the bed in my parent's room." His eyes were distant, as if he was picturing everything once again, with perfect clarity. "He shot my father in the knees so that he couldn't move. I can still hear my mother's screams as he raped her right in front of my father. Then he shot her in the forehead. Pointed the gun at my father's head, and pulled the trigger." His mouth twitched. "But then...He got on his knees, grabbed my hair, and yanked me out from under the bed. He let go and stood up, cocked the gun, and this time...aimed it at me. But, this time, he laughed. I still remember what he looked and sounded like that day, it never leaves me. His voice," he shuddered once, and Raven put her arm on his shoulder.

"He laughed, and then said something that I will, despite what's happened to me since then, never forget. He looked me square in the eye and asked, 'Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon's light?'. Then he hit me over the head with the gun. When I woke up, my parents were gone. There was nowhere to go. So, naturally, I ended up in the slums. Two people who could barely feed themselves took me in. You should've seen how many kids were there. In the end, I felt bad, and left. I knew that with another mouth to feed, everyone else would get less. I tried to raise money anyway I could, to give it to them, to feed myself. I provided some, they would let me stay, and I wouldn't feel bad. But then, one day, Batman caught me jacking the tires off of the batmobile. He took me in."

"Batman?" Raven asked, confused.

"Yes, Batman. I became the second Robin, after Dick." Raven's eyes widened, and she glanced at him.

"But, Richard is Robin right now—"

"After I 'left' him, he must have reinstated him." His eyes were grim, for he had not wanted to tell her this story. A story, that, most likely, she had already heard. "Then, one day, we were onto a large drug scam in Europe. The Joker seemed to be involved. I followed him, bent on beating him to a pulp. Then everything went black." He looked at her, seeing her fear for him in her violet eyes, and he grabbed her shoulders.

"Raven," His voice was pleading, "You are the only one who knows the truth, will know the entire story, so, I need to ask you something. Don't think. Don't judge. Just Listen." Raven hesitated, and then nodded once. "When I woke up," He continued, "I was in a warehouse somewhere. All I can remember after that, is the Joker." Jason glanced worriedly at Raven and saw how pale her face had gotten. "Maybe I should stop."

"No. I'm fine."

"WE'RE HERE!" Keavy called back to the two. Their eyes beheld a beautifully terrifying sight: Dragons. Many of them. All of their bodies in different colors, the light of the falling sun dancing off of their scales, throwing them into sharp relief. Raven's eyes searched cautiously for the large purple dragon that sent her blood boiling with rage, but they came up empty. Keavy noticed the woman's sudden cautious air. "Do not worry m'dear. We made sure to keep him busy for the time being."

"Why dragons?" Raven asked. "Why not use your own magic? I can sense it now, your planet is living, breathing. You live on top of a vast quantity of power—"

"Because," the old, grey haired cecillian began to climb on top of one of the large, serpents, this one a fiery orange. She gestured for the other two to climb on behind her. "It would take more magic than we can use and a lot more time to get all of the way to Earth from here. By using the dragons that will be at the festival, we will not only get there sooner, but, because the dragons are the only animal that can travel at the speed of light when flying, in less than a few moments." She held a hand out to Jason, who took it kindly, and pulled him up.

"My, you're stronger than you look." He laughed as she squinted at him.

"And how exactly do I look?" Raven laughed as he pulled her up, trying to find the right choice of words for the older woman.

"Very...Beautiful." Keavy rolled her eyes, then snapped her fingers. Raven was flung into Jason's lap as the Dragon took off, roaring to the sky. The world flew past them in a blur as they traveled through the rifts in the different dimensions. Jason, who was still wearing his X costume, wrapped his arms around her, holding her secure. Then, as abruptly as it had started, they dropped downwards, the ground growing in their vision at an alarmingly fast rate. The dragon banked, turning, and softly landed on a patch of ground. In the distance, just beyond the reddening horizon, Raven could make out the ruins of a castle.

"Are we in...Scotland?" She asked.

"Why, yes actually. The dragons seem to like it here." The decrepit lady wandered off, leaving the two to themselves to enjoy the festival.

"Anyways, you were saying?"

"Saying what?" Jason asked innocently as he and Raven continued to weave through the booths that people had set up. Raven punched him in the arm. Hard.

"Don't think you're going to get off that easy. What happened in the warehouse?" Jason sighed dramatically.

"The Joker beat me with a crowbar. You happy now? I say we go get something to—"

"What? What happened after that?"

"You know, this isn't exactly the most fun to talk about—"

"Neither was Malchior. And yet you wouldn't leave me alone." Jason made a face at her. Then, suddenly, something flashed to the forefront of Raven's mind.

_He's using you...As soon as he gets what he wants, he'll leave you. He could've eavesdropped on Batman. The story he's telling you could be all lies. Once you get back, he'll go back to his criminal ways, laughing at you like Malchior. It will all end in betrayal, like it always does._

Raven stopped walking. _It's true!_ Anger yelled from the back of her mind. _Remember how it always ends!_

_But he makes her so happy! _Happy, Desire, and Love cornered the Red Cloaked Raven as all of the emotions that had been almost dormant in Nevermore sprang to life.

_Remember Malchior. _Depressed sat underneath a tree, curled up in the fetal position. _He made her happy too. Look what happened then._

"Fine. He beat the crap out of me, then left me locked in there. I dragged myself over to the door, but then found out he had rigged a bomb. The place blew, and I died."

"You're still alive though." Raven's voice was now devoid of all emotion as she mulled over the possibility that her emotions might be right. Jason sighed, annoyed.

"Have you heard of a Lazarus Pit? Well, the whole thing in Europe was part of his plan. He hired the Joker, but he never thought that the Joker would kill me. He felt bad for Batman, so he let me take a little dip in his fountain of youth. And whaddaya know, poof, here I am. The same people took me back in, and I felt the need to give back. I stole the suit, and I now provide food for all of the people that live in the slums."

"And I know you're telling the truth how?" Raven gave him a cold stare. She had long since shook off his arm that had been around her waist.

"Geesh, Angel, what's gotten into you?"

"You mean besides the fact that you're probably using me, and as soon as we get back you'll make a break for it, just like _he_ did?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jason demanded. Raven didn't answer. She left him there, seething, and stomped off immersed in her own anger. She didn't know where she was going, just_ away._

"Wait, Raven!" She turned a corner, and lost him. Leaning against a stand, she sighed, wondering what had gotten into her. Then she remembered something.

"The voice that spoke earlier, it wasn't any of my emotions...It was—"

"Me." She looked up, only to stare into a pair of silvery eyes. Eyes that, it seemed, were mocking her. "Poor little girl. You finally find someone who loves you and now you'll never see him again." He laughed. Raven swung her arm at him, but missed as he stepped back and began morphing. "No one will hear you scream. Even if they do, they'll think it's part of the festival." His voice became deeper, more gravelly. Purple scales covered his now long body, four large legs on the ground. Wings sprouted from his back, and he reared back, fire erupting from his mouth. Raven turned and ran, knowing full well that her powers would not help her right now. She looked behind her, realizing that if she continued this, he would be on her in a matter of seconds. Not only that, but he was a danger to the people here. She had to get him away, and then form some type of plan in her mind. She felt a long forgotten tug in her mind, and worry enter her head. Robin! She had forgotten about the bond! How it was working when she was this far away, she had no idea.

"_Robin, I'm in Scotland and I need your help. Bring the book of Nol, it's in the locked chest in my room." _She sent the message to him, hoping that he would receive it, although she would never be sure. As she flew further away from the festival, she could feel the loneliness start to sink in. She would most likely die out here.

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><p>Thanks! Don't forget to review!<p>

-Knisley24


	12. Dance of Death

Thank you for all of the reviews, I just about DIED when I checked my email! Well folks, this story is just about over...Only a couple of chapters left, and I hope that you will be satisfied with the ending that I'm cooking on my laptop! :D Read and Review!

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><p>"<em>Ooof—" <em>Malchior's tail smacked into Raven, and she hit the ground with a dull thud. She hadn't realized how far away from the festival she had gone until she saw the castle ruins looming ahead in the darkness. Malchior saw where her gaze pointed, and began laughing as he grabbed her in a fist, his talons biting into her flesh.

"Perfect. It will be like a fairy tale. But this time, it won't have a happy ending." Raven struggled against his hold.

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Jason continued to weave his way through the ever thickening crowd, looking for Raven. He could sense that she was in danger, no doubt because of the ring on his hand. He placed his hand on someone's shoulder.

"Have you seen Raven?" He shouted over the loud music and sounds of Dragon's screeches.

"No, why?" Keavy asked. Suddenly, out of instinct, his eyes darted to the open sky to the east, out over the horizon. His eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of a huge black shape flying towards something much smaller...He dropped the plate of food that he had gotten moments before, and, without thinking, began running rapidly east.

"JASON!" He turned his head, still running, in time to see something gleaming in the night, turning end over end, streaking towards him from the air. He reached out, deftly grabbing it, his fingers wrapping around the hilt. It was a long sword, the blade a simple silver with small etching on it, the hilt wrapped with diamonds, and a slight smile came to his face at the sight of it. "YOU'LL NEED IT! IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT CAN PENETRATE A DRAGON'S SCALES!" Keavy yelled.

"Well." He said to himself as he continued to sprint, stopping once he was close enough to teleport using the belt. A smirk graced his lips as he stood in the deep green grass, his usual cocky air back. "Looks like I've got a damsel to save."

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Malchior had once again turned back into his human-like form. He grabbed Raven's slim wrist, pulling her forward into the gates of the old Scottish castle ruins. At night, the place seemed eerie. The ruins' casting odd shadows wherever light was thrown on them. Raven's stomach churned as she was yanked through the broken down, deteriorated hallways and corridors. She only had one guess as to where he would take her. She wrenched her arm away from his grasp, taking a few steps back from him. Her hands glowed with dark power.

"A little cliché isn't it?" Her voice was tight with the emotions that were swirling inside her head. Malchior snickered deep in the back of his throat.

"What's wrong, don't think you're beautiful enough for the tallest tower? I'm sure your boy would've thought so." His smug smile grew as he watched how pale she was becoming. He had hit a nerve and he knew it. "Such a pity that you'll never see him again." Her anger made her lose her focus. Malchior's eyes glowed white, and she flew forward, slamming into a wooden door, which was soon after blown to bits. "Even with your newly strengthened power, you are no match for me human." He spat the word as if it were a horrible curse. Raven was propelled up the steps with no choice but to let herself be thrown around. Her heart twisted at the thought of what her last words to Jason had been. Why had she believed Malchior? If she really loved him, she wouldn't have said that. But she did love him. The mere thought of not seeing him again brought tears to her eyes. Cobwebs lined the old granite walls.

Only a few steps ahead lay another door, this one steel. Malchior blasted this one open with a flick of his hand, as if he was wasting his time here. The room was small, and circular, almost exactly like the towers in castles you might see in a fairytale. The ceiling was tall, and about halfway up, there was a large open window, moss growing around the edges of it from the rain that had washed in over time.

"If my power is so useless, then why do you want it?" Raven couldn't help but hope that the titans were on their way, and the only thing she could do was stall for time. With a burst of dark energy, taking him by surprise, she sent him crashing into the opposite side of the curved wall. "ECKRENOM HEZBEREK MORTIX!" White power shot from her eyes and mouth, fountaining outward, and slowly crawling through the air towards the evil sorcerer. He deflected it easily.

"Do you really think that I would teach you something and not know how to stop it?" He laughed snidely. "ERISSMORTHIS!" Raven was flung against the wall, unable to move as he stepped forward. Malchior's finger dragged along her chin as she struggled. "Perhaps you could be of use to me before I drain your power and kill you." Raven opened her mouth to chant her mantra, but no words would come out. "Hmmm...Perhaps not." He leaned forward, his horrible face inches from hers.

"And now Raven," Raven turned her face away from him, tears streaming down her face. But she was far from scared. She was furious. To get this far in life: defeating her father, falling in love... And now it was all going to waste because of this asshole? "You die." He forced her to face him, then pried her lips apart, opening his mouth and placing it on hers. He breathed in, and Raven could immediately feel her powers slowly being drained.

Suddenly, someone tapped Malchior on the shoulder.

"Now what is it?" The sorcerer turned around.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY WIFE." Malchior's face became friends with the hilt of the sword in Jason's hand. He staggered away from Raven, nose bleeding.

"My nothe!" Malchior looked up, anger tingeing his stare as he began to morph into a lavender killing machine. Jason turned to Raven, kissing her once, deeply.

"If I die today, I want you to know that I love you. Please tell them about me. And take care of the children for me." Raven opened her mouth to say something, but the magic had still not worn off. Jason charged the dragon. Malchior's tail sideswiped him, throwing him backwards and into the wall. The young man hit the ground and rolled, standing up and wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. He swung the sword once in a circle, and then once more charged the dragon. This time, he knew what to expect, dodging the tail, and jumping over it. With one clean slice, the bottom half of the evil man's tail hit the ground with a thud, blood staining the granite crimson. The dragon's eyes burned with blood lust. Malchior's anger was making him vulnerable.

As the battle raged on, footsteps echoed on the staircase. Raven turned her head to the side, in time to see Robin emerge from the dark. The full moon was the only light that they had, but everything could be seen almost clearly in the tower. It had no roof. Robin's eyes darted to the black clothed figure and Purple Dragon as they danced the dance of death. One of them would die, and Raven knew it. The rest of the team entered behind him.

"Red X?" Cyborg automatically raised his sonic cannon, shooting a blast at the thief in question. Jason once again reeled back, but this time Malchior took advantage of it, impaling him in the side with one of his long claws. Blood ran out from Jason's lips, his facial features contorting in pain. Malchior showed no mercy and loomed above him, ready to strike.

"NO!" Raven broke free from Malchior's hold, a wave of dark energy pushing the dragon off of it's feet. Jason jumped up, pain forgotten even as blood leaked continuously down his side. He sprinted forward and, without hesitation, brought the sword swinging in an arc, before plunging it down into the dragon's heart.

The dragon roared in pain, before dissolving into ashes, back into the depths of the book of Nol. Jason stumbled over to the titans, his breathing labored.

"Heeey guys." He fell to his knees, "Who's making the room spin?" And then passed out from blood loss, his body crumpling to the floor. The sword clattered out of his hand. Robin stared down at him, then up at Raven. Cyborg looked remorseful as Raven knelt down beside X, putting her hand to his side.

"You should only heal enough to stabilize him. The wound looks too deep, and I don't want you feeling that." Cyborg handed her a long piece of gauze.

"You've a lot of explaining to do." Robin's masked eyes took in the man who was only a few years younger than him. "Jason."


	13. Reunite

**Hey guys! Loved the reviews! Jason's story was in chapter eleven (for those of you who are confused) sorry about all of the dialogue in that chapter, it probably got kinda boring...I wouldn't blame you if you had skipped over it. Thanks for putting up with the story so far! I know that I suck at romance, but you guys have been a great help in showing me what I need to do to write well. **

**Read and Review! Hope you enjoy!**

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><p>"<em>Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon's light?" <em>

_**BAM!**_

Jason sat up fast, letting out a hiss of breath between clenched teeth as the pain in his side grew. He took in his surroundings: Dark room, chair in the corner, cheap Queen sized mattress that he was currently laying on, heart monitor, IV...

"Yep. I'm in titans tower." He fell backwards, letting his head hit the pillow.

"We're not that bad." He turned his head, his gaze connecting with violet eyes.

"Not _all _of you." He smiled and patted the bed beside him. "Come on Sunshine, I've got the other half of a really cheap piece of crap bed waiting for you." Suddenly, the door to the infirmary slid open, revealing Robin, who walked right up to the edge of the bed.

"You're awake. Good. Because I need to ask you some questions." Raven sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Dick, please, give him five minutes to breathe before you interrogate him." Robin let out an angry breath at Raven.

"Fine." He left the room, and Raven knew that he would be back in five minutes, on the dot.

"Please don't tell me that you told them, and that Robin called..._him._ I really don't want to talk to _him_."

"I don't know, I've been in here since we brought you here." Raven got up and sat on the edge of the bed. He looked at her, green eyes serious. Outside, the moon was full in Jump, shedding light onto the non moving bay that stretched out beyond titan's tower. "Raven," For once he used her name, "They won't be as understanding as you were. They won't see that there's more than two lines. To them I'm a thief, and I'll probably be sent to Blackgate or Arkham." He laughed bitterly. "Ironic, huh? I bet everyone there will be happy to see Robin in prison."

"No. They won't. I won't let them." Her head touched the pillow, her face inches from his. His hand came up to brush a lock of long lavender hair from her face.

"You have to. I don't want you to somehow get caught in the crossfire." Their five minutes was almost up. They could both practically feel the other fading away, knowing they wouldn't see each other again. Tears gathered on Raven's dark lashes.

"Jason, you have to know that back in Scotland, I didn't mean what I'd said. Malchior planted that thought in my mind, and—" Jason brushed his lips across her cheeks, kissing the tears away.

"I don't care. I have you right here, right now, and you're alive, that's all that matters to me." Raven smiled, and leaned forward, closing the gap between them. Jason's heart monitor's beeping increased rapidly as Raven straddled him, pulling away for a few seconds. "Well, there you have it Sunshine, now you can see the things you do to me." He said while the monitor's beeping slowly decreased.

"Embarrassed?" He cocked his head to the side, a cheeky smile on his face.

"Not in the least." He leaned up on his elbows. "You know, if I do get through this, and still get to see you, I am going to come up with the most degrading nicknames for you." He grinned.

"What could be worse than Sunshine, Angel, Doll face...?" Raven rolled her eyes.

"Hey, those are nice compared to what they could be."

"Oh, and what could they be?" One of his hands rested on the back of her thigh, the other on the small of her back.

"Pooky bear." Raven laughed. He leaned up, letting his face pause an inch before hers. "We have unfinished business." He pressed his lips to hers, slowly, sealing them together with a sweet kiss. The hand on her leg slid up, fisting in her hair, holding her to him. _Fwoosh. _The med door once again slid open. Robin's face turned redder than the shirt he was wearing. "Too busy. Questions later." Jason murmured against Raven's lips.

"Uhhh..." Raven had a hard time pulling away from him once she realized how tight he'd been holding her violet tresses. She looked over at Robin, who was at a sudden loss for words.

"Why does everybody have to interrupt us!" Jason let his head hit the pillow. "Fine. Question me. Let's get this over with."

"Actually, it's not me that's going to be asking the questions anymore—"

"I am." There was no mistaking the gravelly voice of Bruce Wayne as he stood in the doorway to the med lab.

"Dammit." Jason closed his eyes and put a hand to his face. Seeing his mentor was not on his list of to dos before he died. Raven eased her way off of the bed, and walked over to the door. She glanced back once, biting her lip, before turning and exiting into the well lit hallway.

"Leave us Dick." Robin turned and walked out, annoyed. Bruce stood in the doorway, unmoving. The silence grew thick in the room, and Jason could feel the tension, thicker than air, seeping into him.

"What? You came here. Just ask the questions already!" Jason's words seemed to somewhat break the thick iciness that was between them. Bruce cleared his throat.

"Do you love her?" The multimillionaire inquired. Jason propped himself up on his elbows, wincing slightly. His eyes bored into the man that stood only a few feet in front of him. Jason had been preparing himself for anything, everything that this man, his mentor, Batman, would throw at him. But he had still found a way to catch the wounded man by surprise.

"What?" He had been expecting something along the lines of 'you're alive.' or 'Now you're a thief?' But not that.

"It's a simple question. Do you love her?" Jason paused for a moment, studying the wall in front of him.

"More than anything in the world." The words were just loud enough for older gentleman to hear.

"Good, maybe that will make my decision easier." Jason didn't ask the man what he meant, knowing that answers would come in due time.

"So. How long have you known about me?"

"Since the day you stole the suit." Bruce pulled the plastic chair up to the bed, flipping it around so that the back was facing the other direction, and straddled it.

"I figured." Jason paused to shake his head once. "That obvious huh?"

"Well, I _was_ the one who trained you. No one else's fighting style is that similar to mine, not even Dick's. The thing I wondered was—"

"How could it be me when I was dead." Bruce nodded at the statement. Thin spider webs of light began to crawl along the tile floor in the infirmary as dawn found its way to Jump. "I'm guessing that you already know that, too, huh?"

"I may have 'ran' into Ra's Al Ghul." They sat there in silence, no longer uncomfortable.

"If you've known all along, why didn't you stop me? Send me off to Blackgate or Arkham?"

"Because," Bruce crossed his arms over his chest, "Sometimes, there's more than two lines. More than just Black and White. There's grey. And I never saw that before, until I began to shadow you. I saw what you were doing for those kids. Those people. And you are right, Jason, they deserve better than what they have. You deserve better than Blackgate and Arkham." Jason blinked, disbelieving.

"But I stole, and that's against the law, you have to punish me just like any other criminal." Jason looked over at him, incredulous.

"You're right, but I have the perfect solution to all of this. You see, Dick's been complaining that he's too old to play Robin anymore." Bruce's face broke into a smile.

"No Freakin' way." Jason grinned. "Do I get to wear my old suit?" Batman reached out and, father -like, messed up Jason's hair.

"I'm sure we can work something out." Jason worked his way out of the bed. He was wearing pants, but no shirt. A bandage was wrapped around much of his torso and stomach. He rested against the wall.

"Just one more question. Why didn't you say something to me before?" Bruce sighed. This had been the one thing that had been holding him back from coming when Richard had called him. But he knew, that, in time, he would have to face it and get on with life. That was the reason he was sitting in the room.

"I was afraid you wouldn't forgive me, for not getting to the Warehouse in time. I think about that day every day, I still remember holding your dead body in my arms, and I can't help but wonder if there was some way that I could've gotten there in time." Jason painfully knelt in front of the chair, locking eyes with the man.

"I forgive you, Bruce. I forgave you a long time ago. Besides, if you _had_ gotten there in time, none of this would've happened. I wouldn't have known Raven." He put a hand on his mentor's shoulder, and stood up next to him. Bruce did the same, and gave the teen a quick hug.

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><p>Just one more chapter to go!<p>

Love, ALWAYS,

-Knisley24


	14. His Little Bird

Hey Hey Guys! Sorry about the many grammatical errors located throughout my story so far, and I want to thank you for muddling through it, no matter how cheesy and boring. Also, I have a request to make.

Instead of reviewing (Unless you would like to, then I would LOVE it) I ask that you PM the wonderful Xaphrin and thank her. For, if not for her, you would not have this chapter!

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><p>After being told he was relieved of his duties as Robin, Richard Grayson decided to leave with Batman right away, and let Jason start his job as leader. Jason became Robin that day, and the rest of the team was ecstatic to have a new leader, especially Raven, despite being a little edgy because of the whole Red X thing. Bruce told Jason not to worry about the people in Gotham anymore, because he would have them off the streets and taken care of. As soon as Batman had left, along with the newly christened Nightwing, everybody else was off to bed, even though the sun had already risen over the town.<p>

There was still one matter that had to be tended to.

Jason stood in the doorway to Raven's room, leaning against the doorframe almost lazily. In the center of the bed she lay bundled under the covers, sleeping soundly. A smirk peeled across his lips as he edged his way toward the bed, she wouldn't be asleep for much longer. Like the thief he was, Jason slid quietly over her petite body, smoothing his hands over her. He sat there and watched her sleep, her face turned to the side, violet hair splayed across her pillow, looking completely peaceful. The sight was so rare that he almost didn't want to wake her up.

Almost.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to where her jaw and neck met, sliding his tongue along the gentle curve. She even tasted sweet, like vanilla. There was a moment of suspended time before she stirred, her hand gripping the sheets. He continued to move along her neck, across her collar bone, then upwards, towards her own lips. He slid his tongue along her lower lip, and Raven jumped in surprise, eyes opening.

He nipped at her lower lip, sliding his hand into her hair. "I was hoping you were awake."

"I am now." She fought back a smile and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Wouldn't it be a crime to make out with my leader?"

"A crime…? Maybe, but I don't really care." His voice was pitched low, and the spark of desire in his eyes was visible even in the darkness of her room. He felt her shift under him, as if she was uncomfortable in her own skin. There was something enticing about that.

Raven tilted her chin up to look into his eyes. "How does it feel? To be Robin again."

Jason gave a one-shouldered shrug, his fingers finding interest in her hair. "Quite frankly, it sucks. I mean, I've been stealing for years and it's kinda grown on me… So, it's going to be hard trying to stop." He curled a piece of her hair around his index finger, enjoying the softness. "But, on the bright side, I don't go to jail... And my room is _right _next to yours." He grinned as she rolled her eyes. "And… there are still a _few_ things I can steal."

Color flooded her face at the implied promise, and Raven opened her mouth to say something undoubtedly sarcastic or snarky back at him. Jason leaned down and hungrily stole her lips before the words left her mouth. If he was going to steal her, he better start soon, before she found a reason to deny him.

His hands left her hair and pulled the blue satin bed sheets down, watching the fabric slide lovingly over her curves. Raven's breath hitched as moved his hands from the covers to her body, tracing her undiscovered curves. God, he loved that shade of red on her cheeks. That dark color of passion and innocence that drove him wild.

Jason slid his hands over her arms before his fingers shackled her wrists, trapping her underneath his weight. He felt her heat pick up speed underneath his chest, and smelled the pleasant, musky scent of her arousal. Unable to stop himself, Jason smiled and Raven leaned up to kiss him, biting his lips. He groaned and pulled away to look at her. She was smirking, the little chit, like teasing him was some kind of game. "Are you teasing me, Raven?"

She smirked. "Why don't you find out?"

Jason didn't need another invitation. He ran his hand up and down her spine, watching as she continued to shift under him, fighting her own emotions. If she only knew what state of chaos his own body was in. His fingers found her zipper and tugged it downward, exposing her alabaster skin and undergarments. Midnight blue. Jason had to fight back a curse and he peeled the skin tight uniform from her body. She was wearing a lacey bra and matching underwear in _midnight blue_.

She looked like some kind of pin-up, laying on her _satin _sheets, in a matching _midnight blue_ panty set, looking at him with that shy, half-lidded stare that could make angels fall, _chewing_ on her lower lip in apprehension. It was some kind of sick, cosmic joke that he was _this close_ to a woman like _Raven_. What in the world had he gotten himself into?

"Blue," He murmured against her lips, breathing in that pleasant scent of vanilla, "is now my second favorite color." He swiped his tongue along her bottom lip, and tasted her gasp of excitement. "How come you never told me you wore _this _under your uniform? Now I'm never going to be able to focus during battles." His hand squeezed her breast through the lace, and she whimpered in response. "Not when I know what you look like undressed."

"Stop teasing." Raven moaned and her back arched.

"Teasing?" Jason leaned forward and nipped at her nipples through the bra. Raven's whimpers turned into pants and she writhed beneath him, brushing her hips against his own. The contact made heat explode in his stomach and Jason bit back a groan, staring down at her, almost snarling. "_I'm _teasing? You should see yourself." He bent down and stole another, heated kiss from her, sliding his tongue along the smooth contours of her mouth.

Jason should have known that Raven wouldn't let him dominate her, and it became a battle of tongues as she skimmed her hands along the contours of his chest, tracing the defined muscles like they were works of art. Every touch was soft and delicate, timid almost. Like an innocent exploration of his body. And _that _set his world aflame. Even her touch on his bandages felt sensual and erotic.

Raven pulled away and her breath deepened as his hands slid behind her back, swiftly removing her bra. It was only getting in the way now, despite how sexy it was. Jason brushed his fingers along her back before running them up over her breasts, indulging in the softness of her body. Raven whispered a protest as he removed his mouth from hers, but her protest with quickly silenced when his tongue traced own and moved it to her right nipple, while his hands seemed suddenly interested in the waistband of her panties. He swirled his tongue around her nipple, restraining himself as he heard her gasp. That wouldn't do. It wasn't _quite _enough reaction out of her. He bit down, and she arched her back, moaning his name.

Jason's body felt unbelievably _tight_. Like every sensation was threatening to take over his body until there was nothing left but pure, white-hot pleasure. And he was just _fine _with that prospect.

His fingers hooked into her blue underwear and he tugged them down her legs. Her skin was incredibly soft, and it felt like he was touching the satin on her bed. Raven keened and writhed as he kissed the inside of her ankles and legs, slowly making his way up to her stomach. He caught her dark, hot gaze for a moment before pressing his fingers into her. Raven bit back a moan and her fingers clenched in the sheets and her hips thrashed as he stroked the sensitive skin.

Jason smirked, that was the woman he wanted. The one that melted at his touch, that called out his name, that wanted _him_. He pressed his face into the delicate skin on her stomach, peppering her with kisses. Raven's eyes slid close and her breath hitched as his tongue swirled around her bellybutton before venturing lower. There was a moment's pause as he felt her muscles clench in confusion and apprehension, but he wouldn't let her fear stop him. He was bound and determined to show her real pleasure. He pushed her legs farther apart and dipped his head to taste her.

Raven screamed and the sound made Jason nearly lose control. His fingers bit into her hips, holding her in pace as her hips bucked. He could feel her emotions licking at his senses, and they seemed to be running rampant and melting at his touch. He felt her legs tremble beneath him, and her breaths become even shallower. Jason stabbed his tongue deep, feeling the warmth spreading through her like wildfire and gathering between her thighs.

There was a moment as her body seemed to clench and relax, anticipating her climax. He slid his fingers inside her and leaned back to watch the show. Raven screamed again, her muscles clenching on his fingers as she seized and thrashed. Jason looked into her glazed eyes with some form for male satisfaction. Her pleasure was all because of him.

He kissed her abdomen and stomach again, feeling small aftershocks whisper through her muscles. Silence slid around them like a warm blanket and Jason waited until he felt Raven's heart still before speaking. "So… how was it?"

"That's a rude question to ask." Red tinted her cheeks and she hid her face in the pillow beneath her. Jason didn't need superpowers to feel her shy smile.

"Why do you say that?" He leisurely slid his tongue over her nipple, as if they had all the time in the world. He felt Raven shift beneath him, and her hands moved to his shoulders. Jason looked up and saw the storm of arousal still thundering in her eyes. His own stomach clenched and his hands tightened his hold on her hips. What in _hell_ was she doing to him?

"Because we are _far_ from being finished." Raven slid out from underneath him, and pushed him down onto the bed, peppering his chest with kisses. Jason couldn't breathe under her timid exploration of his body. She touched and stroked and kissed him like she had done this a million times before hand, but he knew she was innocent. And that made every stroke of her skin feel a hundred times hotter to him. Raven leaned down and ran her tongue along his sternum, tasking his skin. He groaned and his fingers buried into her hair, pulling her hot mouth back to his.

"Be careful, little bird… or you're going to find yourself in a world of trouble." Jason slid his fingers back inside her, reveling in the pants and moans that washed over him. She was still ready for him to take her, and damnit, he would before this day was through. Several times, if he got his way.

"I always thought trouble found me…" She offered a sly smile before pulling away from him and hooking her slim fingers into his sweatpants. He could sense her trepidation, and Jason wrapped his hands around her wrists, guiding her hands down the columns of his legs. He saw her stare at his arousal as if both frightened and intrigued by it. And then she did something that made Jason nearly lose control.

She licked her lips. That simple act of wetting skin while she stared at him lying naked on her bed, was enough to make him scream. His hands slid to her hips and he rolled her over on her back, his hands shackling her wrists to the bed. He kissed her neck, tasting her skin as his body shifted into position, nudging her legs open.

Raven's breath hitched again and she pulled away to stare at him. Her violet eyes turned serious. "Will it hurt?"

"A little. But I promise it will go away eventually, and it's worth it." He kissed her collar bone, and tried not to focus on how hot and wet she was, pressing against him, or this would all be over much too quickly. He nipped at her air and pulled away to look into her eyes. "You're worth it." His hold on her wrists loosened and Raven moved to wrap her slim fingers around his biceps. Jason tasted her lips again and smirked. "One last question: are your walls sound proof?"

"Yes… why?" Instead of answering, Jason surged inside of her, and she let out a cry as pain traced a path through her. Her teeth bit down on her lower lip as his movements stilled, allowing her to adjust to the feeling of their joining. Moments passed, and finally her dark lashes swept up to meet his eyes. "I'm okay…"

Jason nodded once and moved slowly within her, watching the emotions and sensations change her expression. Her fingers dug deeper into his arms, and eventually her hips were moving to meet his, moaning and panting as they touched everywhere. Her hands moved to tangle in his hair and she brought his lips to hers, kissing him fervently as they moved together. Jason fought for control, she was a little slip of a woman, but she knew how to please him well. It was too late, he wanted her, all of her, _right now_.

"Faster." Her muscles tightened around him, and a fine sheen of sweat broke out across her body. She was so close to losing it herself, and the sight of her thrashing beneath him was like staring at fine art to Jason. He worked his way in and out of her, the pain and ecstasy expressed through moans that drove him nearly mad. He never thought he could ever be this close to a woman, and _still _not be close enough.

Her climax came without warning and she screamed as if the world would never hear them, her fingers raked down her back, her muscles tightened around him, and her ankles twisted around his own. Jason finally lost his well handled self-control, and bit into her collarbone as he gave one final push, letting himself have the pleasure of spilling into her body. They sat together for a moment, panting and waiting for the stars to return to the heavens.

Jason propped himself up on his elbows and looked down into her dark eyes. He really enjoyed that shade of red on her cheeks and that drowsy, pleased look in her eyes. He nipped at her lips, sliding his tongue along her lower lip. Raven groaned and shifted beneath him, her muscles stirring back to life at his touch. "I love you, you know that, right?"

"Yes. I love you too." Raven's eyes started to drift close, and Jason fought back a laugh. Quoting her earlier statement: he was _far _from finished.

"Good." He nipped her earlobe before rolling over, forcing her to straddle him. He smirked up at her, watching the scandalized look peel across her face. His hands traced the shape of her thighs before moving to cup her rounded bottom. "Now, again."

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